About the disease
Multiple Sclerosis is a progressive illness that affects the Central Nervous system (CNS) of the body. The CNS comprises the optic nerves, spinal cord, and the brain. It occurs when an individual’s immune system attacks the protective covering of the optic nerve cells. The myelin sheath gets destroyed damaging the nerve endings. As a result of this, the CNS loses the ability to communicate with different parts of the body.
The damage to the nerve manifests itself in the form of scar tissue or lesions. The communication between the brain and the affected area becomes weak. The body starts to exhibit physical and mental signs & symptoms as an indication of the disease. These symptoms vary among individuals depending on the type of MS and the severity of the disease.
MS falls in the category of immune-mediated disease and is also known as a demyelinating disease. The classification depends on the abnormal functioning of an individual’s immune system that leads to the destruction of the myelin sheath covering the optic nerve cells in the body.
Even after extensive case studies and real-life test cases, medical practitioners have not been able to determine the accurate cause of this medical condition. It is argued that there are a variety of factors responsible for its occurrence. Few of them being – age, sex, family history, climate, lack of certain vitamins or the presence of autoimmune diseases like thyroid or diabetes.
Types of Multiple Sclerosis
Broadly, all MS conditions can fall into four categories. An individual can only have a certain type of MS at a given time. The categories are:
Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS)
It is an isolated incident and is usually – but not always, a precursor to MIS. It occurs when the
Myelin sheath covering the nerve fiber has been attacked and destroyed. The occurrence of this condition is known as an episode. It must last for at least 24 hours for it to be known as a CIS episode particularly.
Episodes are either monofocal – implying that one lesion or scarring causes one symptom or multifocal – indicating that there are more than one lesions and symptom.
Relapse-Remitting MS(RRMS)
The RRMS is the most diagnosed form of MS. There is a sudden increase in the inflammations and scarring in the CNS followed by a complete remission of the disease. During remission periods the patient may be completely resolved of all symptoms. The relapse-remission sometimes follows a cyclical pattern.
Primary Progressive MS(PPMS)
The onset of this form of MS has the characteristic of severe worsening of the neurological function. Stability might occur for small durations. The term “active” is used to describe a new MRI activity or lesions while “not active” is the no-activity state.
Secondary Progressive MS(SPMS)
It is the next stage after RRMS. The SPMS sign is an indicator that despite the treatment the disease is spreading in the body. No visible signs of remission exist in this stage although treatment has continued to the hamper the progress of the disease.
Despite being a bad indicator of the progression of the disease, this stage is rather common. Results have shown that patients with MS do develop SPMS condition at some point.
Signs & Symptoms of MS
The condition manifests itself in several forms –
Fatigue
As the nerves get damaged throughout the body, the signals from the brain also start to fade. Performing routine tasks also become a major challenge. Due to this, the body experiences stress and fatigue very easily, which impairs a person’s ability to work.
Cognitive Ability
Problems with memory and lack of concentration are common.
Walking becomes a strenuous activity
The weakening of the CNs causes muscle weakness leading to numbness in the legs. People often have problems balancing themselves on their own and might require crutches too.
Pain & Tremor
At times signals in the CNS, misfire is leading to tremors throughout the body followed by extreme pain.
Cure for MS
There is no absolute cure for MS since its exact causes are not known. However, patients are given various treatments depending on their condition.
The most common and popular are Disease-Modifying Therapies (DMT’s). Such therapies are designed to hamper the disease progression rate and control the relapse rate. The medications are either self-injecting or oral medication.
A popular oral medication is Tecfidera also known as dimethyl fumarate. It’s in a capsule form working on the delayed release principle. It has been found successful in not only reducing the risk of MS replace but also in controlling physical disability.
Conclusion
While the origin of multiple sclerosis had remained uncertain, medical science has been able to find certain treatments for the disease. Oral medications like Tecfidera have been able to help patients manage their life with the disease.
Doctor’s also advice patients to follow proper diets and exercises for improving physical health. Support from the families maintains good mental health for the patient. This gives them the strength to fight against the challenges of this condition.
