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Every week approximately 200 people in the United States are diagnosed with Multiple
Sclerosis also known as MS. This immobilizing disease of the central nervous
system now affects over 400,000 Americans.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, unpredictable disease of
the central nervous system (the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord). It is
thought to be an autoimmune disorder. This means the immune system incorrectly
attacks the person's healthy tissue. MS is not contagious.
The body’s own defense system attacks myelin, the fatty
substance that surrounds and protects the nerve fibers in the central nervous
system. The nerve fibers themselves can also be damaged. The damaged myelin
forms scar tissue (sclerosis), which gives the disease its name. When any part
of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, nerve impulses
traveling to and from the brain and spinal cord are distorted or interrupted,
producing the variety of symptoms that can occur
MS
can cause blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech,
tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration,
paralysis, blindness and more. These problems may be permanent or may come and
go. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and
vary from one person to another.
Most
people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although individuals as
young as 2 and as old as 75 have developed it. Anyone may develop MS but there
are some patterns. More than twice as many women as men have MS. Studies
suggest that genetic factors make certain individuals more susceptible than
others, but there is no evidence that MS is directly inherited. It occurs more
commonly among people with northern European ancestry. People of African,
Asian, and Hispanic backgrounds are also diagnosed with MS, however, the
incidence is much lower.
While the cause of MS is still not known, scientists believe
that a combination of several factors may be involved. Studies are ongoing in
the areas of immunology (the science of the body’s immune system), epidemiology
(that looks at patterns of disease in the population), and genetics in an
effort to answer this important question. Understanding what causes MS will be
an important step toward finding more effective ways to treat it
and—ultimately—cure it, or even prevent it from occurring in the first place.
MS is different from muscular dystrophy (MD), which is a
group of disorders that cause progressive and irreversible wasting away of
muscle tissue. Although MD has some symptoms in common with MS such as weakness
and problems with walking MD affects the muscles directly while MS affects the
central nervous system.
MS can be difficult to diagnose. In early MS, symptoms that
might indicate any number of possible disorders come and go. Some people have
symptoms that are very difficult for physicians to interpret, and these people
must "wait and see." While no single laboratory test is yet available
to prove or rule out MS, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a great help in
reaching a definitive diagnosis.
Advances in treating and understanding MS are made every
year. Progress in research to find a cure is very encouraging giving new hope
to people affected by this devastating disease.
To learn more about Multiple Sclerosis please visit The National MS Society website at www.nmss.org.
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