Multiple Sclerosis
The meaning of "Multiple" is self explanatory. The word "Sclerosis" is a different story altogether. Sclerosis came from the Greek word "Skleros", meaning "to harden". MS gets its name from the forming of scars on the brain and spinal cord. If you think about how sometimes you'll get calluses on your hands, it's kind of like a hard scar..(only it lasts temporarily), but, in MS the scar/s would be on your brain and/or on your spinal cord. When we think scars in general, we think "oh ya got a cut, it healed, it's all good right,"? Actually it's not because if you think about it scars are the results of damage done to a piece of tissue in your body.
Multiple Sclerosis (a.k.a. MS), is what you call an autoimmune disease. Which means that the immune system under normal circumstances destroys foreign pathogens in the body, mistakenly destroys normal tissue. In MS the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain and spinal cord. Multiple Sclerosis effects the white mater tissue in the Central Nervous System (CNS). The white mater is consisted of nerve fibers that are responsible for transmitting messages within the CNS, and throughout the body. The scar tissue, which is called lesions, form when the protective and insulating myelin sheath covering nerve cells is destroyed through a process called, Demyelination. Without the myelin sheath the action potentials distributed throughout the brain and spinal cord are halted or disrupted. The brain becomes in able to send or receive messages. The inability to communication to different parts of the CNS, and the to the body, causes the symptoms of MS.
Doctors still aren't sure what causes MS, but data shows that a person's environment can play a role in MS. Or some researchers believe it can be genetically inherited. Some scientists believe there's several genes involved genetically in the development of MS. They aren't sure what it is but they think some people are born with this gene that will cause you to respond to your environment in a certain way triggering an autoimmune response. Also some studies shows viruses linked to MS such as measles, herpes, and even flu viruses. But, that hasn't been proven. Ms is 2 out of 3 times as common in females as it is in males. It's not common before adolescense.
The four most common/basic types of MS are: (1) Relapsing remitting MS (i.e. abbreviated, Rrms). In RRMS, you'll experience an attack or series of attacks, followed by either complete or partial remission. Usually as the disease progresses, the remissions won't be as effective as they once were. You'll still be left with permanent symptoms. (2) Secondary Progressive MS (i.e. SPMS), starts with RRMS. SPMS is a second-stage, progressive form of MS. There's no periods of remission like in RRMS, and no recovery from the attacks. Though you may have relief from the symptoms for a bit, and breaks from the attacks but only minor. (3) Primary Progressive MS (PPMS), is found more common in men. There's no real remission from the attacks. You may have the briefest, most minor relief from symptoms but it's not common. This type of MS is really just a continual decline in the disease. (4) Begnign MS, is known to be very "slight" in the attacks. That's not necessarially true. It can be just as damaging as any other case of MS. You can have little or no progression after an attack with this type of MS. Although you can still function under this type of MS, you still may have slight problems with cognition (reasoning, thinking things through, etc.), and possible short term memory loss. There are other types of MS but they fall under the more "rare" category.
Symptoms vary from person to person. It all depends on the location of the scars (i.e. lesions on the white mater in the CNS) on the white mater. Some common symptoms are: numbness or tingling in various areas in the body, loss of balance, dizziness, weakness in limb/s, blurred, hazy, or doubled vision, unclear cognition, fatigue, sensitivity to heat (even to normal heat temperatures), muscle spasticity and cramps, abnormal sensations, tremors, difficulty walking, uncontrolled or hesitant urination, and in rare occassions difficulty breathing and even seizures may occur.
So what's the prognosis of Multiple Sclerosis? It varies with each person and their particular case of MS. MS can get really severe really quick depending on what nerves in the body is being attacked. Or Ms can be fairly mild and slow in it's progression. Again, it depends on where the damage is being done. The average estimated prognosis, is 35 years. But, there's been people well up in their 80's and 90's diagnosed with MS over 35 years ago, and still living normal lives. It all depends on the severity of the disease, it effects each person differently.
I'M FINISHED! YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH--YAA! So glad! Ok..it's early in the morn and I'm going to go work out!The meaning of "Multiple" is self explanatory. The word "Sclerosis" is a different story altogether. Sclerosis came from the Greek word "Skleros", meaning "to harden". MS gets its name from the forming of scars on the brain and spinal cord. If you think about how sometimes you'll get calluses on your hands, it's kind of like a hard scar..(only it lasts temporarily), but, in MS the scar/s would be on your brain and/or on your spinal cord. When we think scars in general, we think "oh ya got a cut, it healed, it's all good right,"? Actually it's not because if you think about it scars are the results of damage done to a piece of tissue in your body.
Multiple Sclerosis (a.k.a. MS), is what you call an autoimmune disease. Which means that the immune system under normal circumstances destroys foreign pathogens in the body, mistakenly destroys normal tissue. In MS the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain and spinal cord. Multiple Sclerosis effects the white mater tissue in the Central Nervous System (CNS). The white mater is consisted of nerve fibers that are responsible for transmitting messages within the CNS, and throughout the body. The scar tissue, which is called lesions, form when the protective and insulating myelin sheath covering nerve cells is destroyed through a process called, Demyelination. Without the myelin sheath the action potentials distributed throughout the brain and spinal cord are halted or disrupted. The brain becomes in able to send or receive messages. The inability to communication to different parts of the CNS, and the to the body, causes the symptoms of MS.
Doctors still aren't sure what causes MS, but data shows that a person's environment can play a role in MS. Or some researchers believe it can be genetically inherited. Some scientists believe there's several genes involved genetically in the development of MS. They aren't sure what it is but they think some people are born with this gene that will cause you to respond to your environment in a certain way triggering an autoimmune response. Also some studies shows viruses linked to MS such as measles, herpes, and even flu viruses. But, that hasn't been proven. Ms is 2 out of 3 times as common in females as it is in males. It's not common before adolescense.
The four most common/basic types of MS are: (1) Relapsing remitting MS (i.e. abbreviated, Rrms). In RRMS, you'll experience an attack or series of attacks, followed by either complete or partial remission. Usually as the disease progresses, the remissions won't be as effective as they once were. You'll still be left with permanent symptoms. (2) Secondary Progressive MS (i.e. SPMS), starts with RRMS. SPMS is a second-stage, progressive form of MS. There's no periods of remission like in RRMS, and no recovery from the attacks. Though you may have relief from the symptoms for a bit, and breaks from the attacks but only minor. (3) Primary Progressive MS (PPMS), is found more common in men. There's no real remission from the attacks. You may have the briefest, most minor relief from symptoms but it's not common. This type of MS is really just a continual decline in the disease. (4) Begnign MS, is known to be very "slight" in the attacks. That's not necessarially true. It can be just as damaging as any other case of MS. You can have little or no progression after an attack with this type of MS. Although you can still function under this type of MS, you still may have slight problems with cognition (reasoning, thinking things through, etc.), and possible short term memory loss. There are other types of MS but they fall under the more "rare" category.
Symptoms vary from person to person. It all depends on the location of the scars (i.e. lesions on the white mater in the CNS) on the white mater. Some common symptoms are: numbness or tingling in various areas in the body, loss of balance, dizziness, weakness in limb/s, blurred, hazy, or doubled vision, unclear cognition, fatigue, sensitivity to heat (even to normal heat temperatures), muscle spasticity and cramps, abnormal sensations, tremors, difficulty walking, uncontrolled or hesitant urination, and in rare occassions difficulty breathing and even seizures may occur.
So what's the prognosis of Multiple Sclerosis? It varies with each person and their particular case of MS. MS can get really severe really quick depending on what nerves in the body is being attacked. Or Ms can be fairly mild and slow in it's progression. Again, it depends on where the damage is being done. The average estimated prognosis, is 35 years. But, there's been people well up in their 80's and 90's diagnosed with MS over 35 years ago, and still living normal lives. It all depends on the severity of the disease, it effects each person differently.
Buh-bye!,
~Lissie
