Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an acquired demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that typically is diagnosed in the second or third decade of life. Normally, nerves are enclosed in myelin sheaths that help facilitate transmission of nerve impulses within the CNS and the peripheral nervous system throughout the body. In patients with MS, the myelin sheath is damaged and eventually degenerates, causing patches of scar tissue called plaques or lesions to occur anywhere randomly on the myelin sheath (Ruto, 2013). This results in impaired nerve conductivity, which interferes with message transmission between the brain and the other parts of the body. As a result, impulse transmission is altered, distorted, short-circuited, or completely absent. This interference in impulse transmission creates muscle weakness, muscle imbalance, and possibly muscle spasms with partial or complete paralysis. Multiple sclerosis also can result in visual impairment and alteration of cognitive abilities, as well as pain, numbness, or tingling sensations (Ruto, 2013). MS affects about 400,000 persons in the USA and approximately 2.1 million worldwide. The average age of onset is between 20–40 years, although it can also occur in young children and in people aged 50 years and more. It is estimated that the direct and indirect healthcare costs of MS in the United States result in approximately $35,000 spent per year per patient. Multiple sclerosis affects women more
Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable, potentially disabling disease of the central nervous system that can affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Multiple Sclerosis can range from relatively benign to disabling to devastating. The disease is considered an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues causing damage to the myelin sheath, which covers the nerve fibers, and causes communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body and ultimately cause the nerves to deteriorate or become permanently damaged. When any part of the myelin sheath is damaged or destroyed the nerve impulses that travel back and forth to the brain and spinal cord are interrupted, this produces a range of different symptoms.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease, in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. The disease destroys the myelin, which is the insulation that protects the nerve fibers in the spinal cord, and brain (Niino, 2008). When the myelin is damaged, the message that is traveling along that nerve may be slowed or blocked. Symptoms vary by patient, but often include: numbness or weakness in limbs, partial or complete loss of vision, lack of coordination or unsteady gait, slurred speech, fatigue, dizziness, and problems with bowel and bladder functions.
1. Main point 2: So now that I have talked about what MS is, let us continue on to what the symptoms are and how it can be diagnosed. In most cases, the symptoms generally appear between the ages of 20 and 40 and affect more than twice as many women as men. Common indicators of MS are fatigue, dizziness, numbness and tingling, weakness, blurred vision, heat sensitivity, slurred speech, problems with memory and concentration, loss of balance and more. Sometimes the symptoms disappear completely and the person regains lost functions or sometimes a change in their life causes the symptoms to resurface and return stronger than ever. In my observations, my Dads’ MS is strongest in hot weather and during times of high stress. The symptoms normally vary from person to person, which makes it hard to diagnose. There are currently no lab tests that can be done to rule out or confirm MS, but MRI’s can help reach a strong diagnosis. MS is not considered a fatal disease, but many people struggle to live as productively as they desire, often facing many limitations.
MS is usually occurs at age of 15 to 55 with the average onset at about 30 years of age. Women are twice more likely than men to develop this debilitating autoimmune disease (Love, 2006). Due to the heterogeneity of the disease, where it can affects many sites of the CNS such as the brain cortex, brainstem, spinal cord as well as the optic nerve, thus the clinical symptoms of MS are widely ranged.
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease of the central nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord. Both have nerve fibers that are wrapped in a myelin sheath. In MS, the myelin sheath becomes inflamed and gradually is destroyed. With the destruction of the myelin sheath comes an array of symptoms that may include numbness or tingling, balance problems, weakness, muscle spasms, and blurred vision.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. MS affects approximately 3.0 million people globally, with about 300,000 cases in the United States. Twice as many women as men have MS. The average ages for onset of MS is 20-40 years. In MS, cells in the immune system attack and destroy myelin, the fatty tissue surrounding nerve cells (http://www.phylomed.com/MS.html). Scar tissue replaces the myelin, interfering with the transmission of nerve signals and leading to numbness, fatigue, spasticity, loss of muscle control, and various other debilitating symptoms. There are four broad theories
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease of the central nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord. Both have nerve fibers that are wrapped in a myelin sheath. In MS, the myelin sheath becomes inflamed and gradually is destroyed. With the destruction of the myelin sheath comes an array of symptoms that may include numbness or tingling, balance problems, weakness, muscle spasms, and blurred vision.
Multiple Sclerosis, commonly known as MS is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Scientists have been studying MS since the 19th century. In MS, the body’s immune system produces cells and antibodies that attack myelin in your brain which is essential for the nerves in your brain and spinal cord to conduct electricity to perform its function. The attack on myelin results in vison loss, paralysis, numbness, muscle weakness, difficulty walking, stiffness, spasms, and bladder and bowel problems. MS has varying degrees of severity and affects people between the ages of 20-50, mostly women. Although there are treatments, there is no cause and cure yet.
If you know anyone with Multiple Sclerosis or MS, you would know how terrible the disease is. Multiple Sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which your immune system attacks the nerve cell covers in the brain and spine are damaged. The nerves in the body eventually deteriorate and it is fatal. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the cause of Multiple sclerosis is still unknown. There is not a cure at the moment for Multiple Sclerosis, but there are treatments that can speed recovery when attacked by the disease (Mayo Clinic). Scientists are under the impressions that there are a few factors that may come into play. They say that when they discover the exact cause of Multiple Sclerosis it will be easier to find a way to treat the disease or maybe even stop it from happening at all. (National Multiple Sclerosis Society)
Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder where the myelin sheath within the Central Nervous System is attacked (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2017). The myelin sheath protects the axon of the nerve cell. When the myelin sheath is intact, the axon is able to carry impulses away from the neuron’s cell body, and the message carried is clear. With Multiple Sclerosis, the myelin sheath becomes scarred, hence the word “sclerosis”, and distorts the nerve impulses traveling over the CNS (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2017). This may cause the message to be changed or stopped altogether.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a rare disease that directly disables the central nervous system (CNS). While there has been some recent studies, there still isn’t enough research for scientist to classify the exact causes of MS. However, all researchers declare that the causation of MS is a direct impact of the disease “attacking” the central nervous system, which leads to a disruption of the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body (National MS Society). When there is a disturbance within the CNS, signals within the brain and from the brain to the body are altered, which can have devastating effects on patients. MS is a mysterious disease that still has a lot of research to be conducted in order for scientist and doctors
The transmission of electrical impulses will be hindered as a direct consequence of damaged or destroyed myelin. One may ask why does the body begin to attack and destroy the myelin? This question ultimately leads to the inquiry: What causes multiple sclerosis? The response is that the exact origin of MS is unknown, and that scientists and researchers suspect that the damage to the myelin results from an abnormal response by the body's immune system. In other wards science cannot explain this phenomena. However, research is making advances in the area of MS, and the future for those who are affected by multiple sclerosis appears to be more optimistic.
Multiple Sclerosis, one of the most complex diseases ever described, impacts over 2.3 million people worldwide. All ages are affected, especially women and young adults. While MS is uncommonly inherited, it can be carried in specific gene variants. In all of its forms, MS attacks both the nervous and immune systems. Researchers haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly where the disease begins, but many believe that immune cells are sent to the nervous system where they destroy myelin. That myelin, which protects axons, is essential for sending nervous signals; when we can’t send nerve signals, our bodies are unable to detect pain, and additionally lose the ability to feel, in targeted areas. Initially, a MS victim will have trouble with everyday activities like walking, running, and vision issues, and might also experience numbness or tingling sensations in their fingers. Over time, faulty connections become more and more damaged, progressing the disease. Primary progressive MS, the most severe form, has the quickest decline in health. There are therapies and treatments available to
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a common neurological disorder and the most common non-traumatic causes of disability in young adults (WHO, 2008). MS is a debilitating disease of the central nervous system affecting 400,000 Americans, reaching 2.5 million individuals globally, with 200 new cases diagnosed every week. (Tullman, 2013). The prevalence of MS is third highest in the Americas, with the greatest number of afflicted individuals in Europe (WHO, 2008). The WHO also suggests that MS rates increase in countries with high income compared with their low income counterparts (2008). Worldwide, the mean age of disease onset is 29.2 years, with 2 women affected for every 1 man (WHO, 2008). Clinical presentation of MS usually begins with muscle
More than 400,000 of people are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in America and approximately 2.3million cases in the world (Multiple Sclerosis International Federation, 2013). Multiple Sclerosis is one of the most common neurological diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) (Wei, 2014). The myelin sheath that wraps around the nerve fibers is being attacked by our body immune system, which affects the body’s actions and responses as cell-to-cell communication to and from the brain is delayed (Mendes, 2016). The disease commonly affects people between the age of 20 to 50, and women are more likely than men to develop the disease (Multiple Sclerosis International Federation, 2013).