Knowing More About Multiple Sclerosis
What is Multiple Sclerosis: multiple sclerosis or MS is an autoimmune disease.Autoimmune diseases are diseases in which the body’s immune system misinterprets a normal structure or function of the body of a person as a foreign object and begins to attack, causing the disease. Other autoimmune diseases include rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. In multiple sclerosis, the immune system attacks the fatty tissue surrounding nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. This tissue, called myelin protects each neuron and allows each neuron to carry its signals properly in the brain or spinal cord. When myelin is damaged, scar tissue called sclerosis, plaques or lesions, are formed. The lesions interfere with the ability of neurons to conduct signals, which reduces the brain’s ability to send signals to the body and affect the body’s ability to function.
What causes this first autoimmune reaction that leads to multiple sclerosis is unknown. The research focused on the relationship of the immune system to disease and that it is more common in countries furthest from the equator where the sun is less available. This highlights a deficiency of vitamin D as a possible factor in the development of MS, such as vitamin D is an important regulator of the immune system. Genetic factors and viral infections are the current areas of investigation as possible causes of this disease.
MS usually occurs in adulthood and is more common in women. It is more common in people who are white and live in countries beyond the Equator.
The main symptoms of MS include nerve pain and numbness in the extremities. A person may experience a tingling sensation in the affected limb. Muscle strength and coordination may also be affected, causing impairments in the ability of a person to move. The “drunk walk” can be an early sign of muscle atrophy in the legs of a person. Visual impairment, sleep disorders, cognitive, emotional or sores mood swings and fatigue are common symptoms . A person with MS may have difficulty regulating their body temperature and may be particularly sensitive to heat, so the summer months was difficult to bear.
The diagnosis of MS is generally performed with the magnetic resonance imaging to assess brain lesions that indicate areas demylinated. They are not always in the early stages of the disease, and a person with MS are not always diagnosed immediately.MS symptoms are similar to other chronic diseases and the physician may choose to exclude other diagnoses before a course of treatment of MS.
There is no cure for MS, but several drugs are known to slow the progression of the disease and allow a person to maintain a normal life for years. All these drugs are injectable and a couple must be given intravenously by healthcare professionals.Some have flu-like side effects. Research is currently working on an oral drug effective, but not yet approved for general use.
People with MS tend to be able to live a normal life, but must learn to adapt to the disease and the changes it makes in your body as you go. Some people may be able to live most of his life without being significantly disabled, while others may lose their mobility, sensation, or vision. The evolution of the disease is difficult to predict and varies greatly from person to person.
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