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| Multiple Sclerosis ribbon design. |
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis as an unpredictable
and complex condition that affects many people throughout the world. It has an
effect on the central nervous system causing the brain to struggle with communication with ones' body. There is no cure as of yet! However research is
being undertaken and results are being found.
There are 2.3 million
people worldwide having being diagnosed with this disease, most are given the
diagnosis between the ages of 20-40. Women have double the chance of being diagnosed with MS than men, possibly due to women being more likely of having a gene associated with the disease.
The coating around the
nerve fibres, called myelin, are damaged when someone has Multiple Sclerosis
causing a variety of symptoms. MS is referred to as an autoimmune disease as
the body is attacking itself. Treatment and specialized doctors can help people
suffering with MS to manage the disease and its accompanying symptoms.
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| Myelin is damaged when someone has Multiple Sclerosis. |
A relapse lasts more than
24 hours and happens at least 30 days after a previous relapse. A relapse is
unique in its severity, length and the symptoms that is comes with. Depending
on the type of MS there could also be a period of recovery where no new
symptoms show up and the person with MS will feel better.
Symptoms
MS symptoms are a different
and unique experience for everyone, the symptoms may appear and vanish or steadily
get worse with time. The way that MS impacts a sufferer depends on what part of
the brain or spinal cord is being damaged from the disease. There are three
stages of symptoms when having Multiple Sclerosis.
Primary – due to the diseases itself. Symptoms
include:
· Extreme fatigue
– feeling of being exhausted.
· Numbness and
tingling – pins and needles feeling, strange sensations on face or body.
· Visual
disturbances – blurry eyesight, double vision, pain when moving eyes.
· Impaired
balance and coordination – loss of balance, light-headed, weakness in legs.
· Difficulty
speaking – slurring, scanning speech.
· Emotional problems
– mood swings, depression.
· Cognitive
problems – attention span and memory is affected, learning difficulty.
· Tremor –
trembling or shaking movement that can’t be controlled.
· Bladder
problems – urinary urgency, incontinence.
Secondary – complications of primary symptoms.
Tertiary symptoms – the effects of having
Multiple Sclerosis, such as social, psychological, work related aspects that are affecting ones' day to day life.
Types of MS
Relapsing-remitting MS – The most common of the types of MS consisting
of recurring attacks (relapses) of symptoms followed by recovery phases. This
type might lead to Secondary-progressive MS after about 10 years of having RMMS.
Secondary-progressive MS – The second phase for some sufferers of Relapsing-remitting MS. This
is a progressive phase; the relapses stop and the disease progressively gets
worse.
Primary-progressive MS – There are no relapses or recovery periods,
the disease only progressively gets worse. This type of MS is often diagnosed
later on in life of MS sufferers.
Progressive-relapsing MS – The least common of the MS types. There will be
attacks with which the sufferer might recovery slightly or not and the disease
will get worse between relapses.
Treatment options to help
alleviate symptoms
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Exercising
Healthy diet
Physiotherapy
Alternative therapies
Medication
Ways of coping with MS
Join a MS support group
Talk to family members and friends
Pick up new hobbies
MS terms
Autoimmune disease – The body’s immune system attacks healthy cells,
organs and tissues causing illness. An understanding of why is not yet well
known.
Central Nervous System (CNS) – A term for the main part of the nervous system; the brain and spinal cord.
Cranial nerves – There are twelve pairs of nerves in the brain that carry
sensory, motor and parasympathetic fibres to the face and neck.
Demyelination – The myelin sheath which surrounds the nerve
fibres within a person’s central nervous system are destroyed. When this occurs
there is an interruption in communication between nerves.
Interferon –A family of three groups of proteins that help fight viral infection
or other biological inducers; alpha, beta and gamma.
Lhermitte’s sign – The sensation of an electric shock or ‘pins and
needles’ going down the spine into the arms and legs, when the neck is bent
forward.
Myelin – They are soft, white coated lipids and proteins that
surround the nerve fibres in the central nervous system, speeding up the
electric signals that are sent via the nerve fibres.
Neuritis – When the nerves are inflamed and cause nerve damage and is usually
part of a degenerative disease.
Sclerosis – A condition where the tissue becomes hard due to fibrous
tissue growing.
Multiple sclerosis – When there is a collection of fibrous tissue
also known as scars in the brain. The brain struggles to communicate with the
body as there is damage done to nerve fibres in the central nervous system.
National Multiple Sclerosis, an American website, offers a wide range of information on MS, such as living with the disease, symptoms, diagnosis and so much more.
Read about Claudia, an MS warrior's personal journey with having Multiple Sclerosis.
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