Multiple Sclerosis
Types of Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is not a very common condition, but it can do much damage. Multiple sclerosis affects the nerves in the central nervous system and causes many problems. Depending on the symptoms you have, can be of three types of multiple sclerosis. The type of MS that can suffer are:. Remitting MS, secondary progressive and primary progressive multiple sclerosis
The first type of MS is relapsing. Almost seventy percent of all patients with multiple sclerosis, the disease begins with relapse and remission. What can this really means is that in this case of multiple sclerosis there are periods of relapse, which come suddenly and periods of remission. Flare up in the time of relapse of multiple sclerosis, symptoms, sometimes unexpectedly. This period will be followed by a remission, where symptoms of MS tend to improve. Secondary progressive type of multiple sclerosis occur after you have had the kind of fist of the MS for a longer period. In this case, the second MS to reduce the start times of remission and the symptoms of multiple sclerosis to worsen. More than half of patients with multiple sclerosis who suffered from the first category of the second type of multiple sclerosis develop progressive in nearly a decade. The third multiple
Type of MS is primary progressive. This is the worst case of multiple sclerosis, which may suffer. Nearly three out of twenty people with MS do not have remission of their symptoms and multiple sclerosis worse from day to day. In this particular case, multiple sclerosis, time, life expectancy is reduced.
Multiple sclerosis is a very unpredictable disease. Up to 10 years between relapses of multiple sclerosis be. Others may have the multiple sclerosis flare-ups more frequently. If people with multiple sclerosis in their middle age and is also the first time, they have multiple sclerosis progression of the disease can quickly and can cause much damage. For the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis is not an easy thing. Doctors need to test to see what the symptoms and the exclusion of other diseases before the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. MRI, lumbar puncture and neuropsychological tests are some methods to do the one doctor in order to confirm the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
Learn more about multiple sclerosis in humans
multiple sclerosis (MS) can be regarded as an inflammatory process with various regions of the central nervous system (CNS) at different points in time. As the name implies, multiple sclerosis affects many areas of the CNS.
Multiple sclerosis is more common in people of northern European descent. Women are twice as likely to develop multiple sclerosis than men. MS usually affects people between the ages of 20 and 50, and the average age of onset is about 34 years.
The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord. They process information from our environment and control voluntary muscle movement for the body to do certain things.
If you touch something hot, for example, the signals sent by the sensory nerve endings in the hand until long nerves in your arms, eventually reaching the spinal cord. From there, the signal is passed to the spinal cord to the brain, where information transfer process. Your brain sends a signal down the spinal cord to the nerves in the arm. These nerves to contract the muscles in the arm, pull your hand away from the heat.
The neural system function effectively if it is a disease process that affects the ways of the spinal cord and brain. Multiple sclerosis is a disease that can affect these pathways. The signals are transmitted into the central nervous system on the tracks.
These tracks consist of long fibers called nerves. The nerves are capable of transmitting information from the environment on the brain. Everything you touch, see, taste, smell or feel, is transmitted along the nerves of the brain.
The nerves also contain information that is understandable for attention, behavior, and rational thinking, the ability to communicate with others and feel the emotions and to interpret.
To find out which of late, the nerves are covered by a fatty substance called myelin. Myelin insulates the nerves and allows them to transfer information to and from the brain br in a split second. ” />
When myelin is disturbed in any way, the transmitted information is not only delayed, but it can also be interpreted by the brain.
Results of multiple sclerosis in the destruction of myelin surrounding the nerves of the central nervous system. The destruction is believed by the body’s own immune system attacks the myelin sheath caused.
The autoimmune destruction of the myelin sheath leads to areas of demyelination (also known as plaques) in the brain and spinal cord.
These plaques destroy the information transmission in the CNS and cause the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
The symptoms of MS can be from person to person. Visual, sensory, motor, and signs and symptoms are all part of MS. The clinical symptoms are varied, and therefore there is a wide spectrum of symptoms that can occur. Some people have mild cases of multiple sclerosis with little or no disability over the years. Others have the most severe forms of MS requires restriction to a wheelchair or bed.
Still others may all their lives without symptoms (asymptomatic persons with multiple sclerosis are also to have lesions of multiple sclerosis on MRI, or persons living in the examination of her brain after the unexpected death shows that they were affected by the disease). This variability makes it difficult to diagnose in some cases of multiple sclerosis. Often the signs and symptoms are mistaken as a psychiatric origin.
The first symptoms of multiple sclerosis are often visual changes. To develop as many people with multiple sclerosis, optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve, which is an extension of the central nervous system), described as a painful loss of vision. If a patient is diagnosed with optic neuritis is an early treatment could run to the />
Before the actual loss of vision, visual changes in the patient by many as a hazy or blurred vision described, flashing lights, or changes in color. Tissues around the eyes and the movement of the eye may be painful. Most people recover over several months. Others are left with permanent visual defects. Double vision occurs when the eyes move in different directions, and is another common symptom of multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis usually affects the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for balance and fine motor coordination. Therefore people with multiple sclerosis often have difficulty maintaining their balance while walking and carrying out delicate tasks with their hands. Unexplained fall from a cup or other object, or unusual weakness may occur.
Patients can face pain, a sensation of rotation called Vertigo, and sometimes hearing loss. Virtually every area of the body are involved, making this disease the great imitator of other diseases of the nervous system. The patient may experience painful muscle cramps or loss of strength in one or more arms or legs.
The nerve fibers run, touch, pain and temperature sensations are often affected, causing pain sensations of tingling, numbness, or electric type in the chest, abdomen, arms or legs. Multiple sclerosis, the nerve responsible for acts of involuntary bladder and bowel. They have often pateint constipation and urinary retention. These symptoms lead to further complications such as bladder infections, kidney or blood.
Most people with MS complain of a constant state of exhaustion. Something as simple as Save up stairs can be an impossible task for someone to become multiple sclerosis.
A special feature of multiple sclerosis is the relationship between higher temperatures and worsening of symptoms. People often complain of a worsening of their symptoms after taking a hot shower, or participating in physical activity.
The exact reason this happens is unknown. Maybe it’s because of the fall in temperatures nerve, leading to a further slowing of the transmission of messages in the nerves that have lost myelin can lead.
A doctor should be notified if you or someone you know, the signs and symptoms of multiple sclerosis are associated. Even with a doctor if you or someone you know has signs or symptoms that may not be connected, but that are of concern. The person may not multiple sclerosis, but because of the nonspecific nature of this disease, it is best to let a qualified professional to make that decision.
Many of the symptoms of MS can send the patient to a hospital emergency room. If blurred vision and eye movements are experienced pain, visit the nearest department of emergency. The patient may be optic neuritis, one of the most common early signs of multiple sclerosis.
If the patient changes in personality or sudden loss of strength in the arms and legs, she should go to the emergency room for evaluation. These symptoms are often associated with multiple sclerosis, but they can also be signs of other serious diseases such as stroke, infection, or chemical imbalances.
Diagnosis of multiple sclerosis is difficult. The vagueness and non-specific or disease mimics many other diseases. Doctors combine medical history, physical examination, laboratory, and sophisticated medical imaging techniques to arrive at a diagnosis.
A complete blood count, blood, urine analysis and evaluation of spinal fluid are often laboratory tests are routinely used to help other diagnoses and to confirm the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. MRI, which creates an image of the brain or spinal cord, is used to detect changes in the brain or spinal cord, which are unique to multiple sclerosis to search. More often than not, is a specialist in neurology needed to make a diagnosis.
There are several treatments for multiple sclerosis. The following is a brief summary of the drugs approved by the FDA for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. For more information, contact your doctor.
Interferons are substances called immune modulators (which means that they affect the impact on the immune system) drugs, which have allowed to treat multiple sclerosis. Interferons are also fighting through the body, especially for viral infections.
Interferons have shown that relapse to reduce by about one-third (compared with patients receiving placebo compared) and the progression of the disease. Common side effects include flu-like symptoms (which tend to disappear over time) and reactions at the injection site (to be minimized by analgesics, rotating injection sites and local measures to prepare the skin before the injection).
Interferons are interferon beta-1a (Avonex) once weekly injection into the muscle of the administered interferon beta-1a [(Rebif) three times per week by injection under the skin)], and interferon beta-1b [(Betaseron), every second day] as an injection under the skin.
Glatiramer acetate (Copaxone) is a mixture of amino acids are used to treat multiple sclerosis. Glatiramer acetate has been shown that the relapse rate of MS by about one-third (when connected to patients receiving placebo) and also seems to reduce the overall progress of multiple sclerosis affect.
Common side effects with glatiramer acetate include a feeling of tightness in the chest after the injection, and reactions at the injection site that can include rare skin called lipoatrophy. Copaxone is administered daily by injection under the skin.
Natalizumab (Tysabri) is a monoclonal antibody that binds to white blood cells and interferes with their movement from the bloodstream into the brain and spinal cord. White blood cells are thought to play a role in causing the damage of the nervous system in multiple sclerosis.
Tysabri reduced relapses by about two-thirds (when compared with placebo-treated patients) and reduced the accumulation of disability, but has a warning for an increased risk of progressive multifocal encephalopathy (PML), a potentially fatal brain inflammation. Because of this risk, Tysabri can only be used for patients who have registered for treatment under a program controlled distribution of drugs administered.
Various drugs that suppress the immune system and are used to treat cancer are also been used to treat multiple sclerosis, but they can make people very ill with multiple sclerosis, especially if they are not used carefully. Mitoxantrone (Novantrone) is a chemotherapy drug that is approved by the FDA to treat multiple sclerosis.
Mitoxantrone treatment requires monitoring of cardiac function, and there is a limit to the amount that can be administered to patients. It also includes the long-term risk of leukemia. For these reasons, Novantrone is generally for patients with aggressive forms of multiple sclerosis reserved.
New methods of research and treatment are being revised and should offer some hope for people with multiple sclerosis.