Medical Tips On Multiple Sclerosis Diseases

Multiple sclerosis is a neurological disease that involves an inflammatory process at the level of the central nervous system, involving the brain and spinal chord. The disease causes dysfunctions of the body's nervous cells or neurons, due to destruction of myelin sheath, a substance that surrounds the neurons. Myelin sheath is vital for the proper activity of the nervous system, as it facilitates the transmission of information between neurons.

When the myelin-containing membrane of the nervous cells is damaged, the innervated tissues of the entire body can be seriously affected. Due to destruction of myelin sheath, multiple sclerosis can cause dysfunctions of the musculoskeletal, sensorial and cognitive systems. Sometimes, the disease can also affect the activity of the internal organs like kidneys, gastrointestinal tract. People who suffer from multiple sclerosis can in time develop neuropsychological conditions, such as depression, dementia or mania.

Research results reveal that multiple sclerosis affects about 2 million people worldwide. An interesting aspect of the disease multiple sclerosis is that it tends to affect young people. Although multiple sclerosis can also be developed to the elderly people, the disease has the highest incidence in people with ages between 20 and 40. Another interesting feature of multiple sclerosis is that it predominantly affects women, rarely occurring in the male.

The actual causes of multiple sclerosis are not clear. Medical scientists believe that both environmental and genetic factors contribute to the development of multiple sclerosis. It is believed that multiple sclerosis occurs on the background of genetic predispositions and triggered by environmental factors; although this fact has not been confirmed, viral infections are also considered to facilitate the development of this type of neural disease. Multiple sclerosis has a hereditary character and the genetic predispositions to this type of neural disease can be transmitted from one generation to another. Certain environmental factors, such as stress, warm climate, lack of sleep, are also considered to increase the risks of developing multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis can affect almost any level of the body, generating a wide range of symptoms. The most common physical signs of multiple sclerosis are, inflammation, muscle pain, numbness, weakness; pronounced fatigue; poor body mobility; loss of dexterity; poor balance; poorly coordinated moves; decreased vision.

Common neuropsychological signs of multiple sclerosis are poor mental performance; lack of concentration; short-term memory loss; compromised judgment. In extreme cases, multiple sclerosis can even lead to mania, depression and dementia. Multiple sclerosis is diagnosed upon elaborate physical and neuropsychological tests, as well as specific medical procedures and laboratory tests. Common means of diagnosing multiple sclerosis are MRI scans and lumbar puncture, procedures which can reveal probable damage of myelin sheath. Multiple sclerosis medical treatments are usually individualized according to the experienced symptoms of the patients.

Multiple sclerosis treatments commonly involve the use of beta interferon, corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These medications can alleviate most physical symptoms generated by multiple sclerosis, also preventing their repetition. When the disease affects the cognitive functions of the body, commonly prescribed medications are Central Nervous System Stimulants and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. Medication-free therapy for multiple sclerosis involves the physical recuperation of the sufferer. As most symptoms of multiple sclerosis are perceived at the level of the musculoskeletal system, therapy through exercise is very effective in alleviating muscle pain, numbness and weakness.

• John Palsson
• 28/11/2008, 12:59 PM
• 0 Comments