Abstract
This paper presents a brief overview of Multiple Sclerosis( MS) and discusses about its causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Multiple Sclerosis affects the brain and spinal cord thereby causing weakness, numbness, stiffness and blurred vision. However, there are many things that need to be explored with regard to this disease. For instance, causes and symptoms of MS are not well-known. Diagnosis is difficult leading to issues in the treatment.
Thus, research is going on at different levels so that these hidden aspects can be unearthed. The paper discusses all these factors and concludes that future research is necessary for an effective treatment of Multiple Sclerosis.
Keywords: Multiple Sclerosis, MS treatment, MS symptoms, MS diagnosis
Multiple Sclerosis(MS) is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord . The nerve cells of our body are protected by a material called myelin sheath; degeneration of the sheath leads to an imprecise communication between the nerve endings .This lack of communication may crop up following problems:
- Weaknesses in muscles
- Visual disturbances
- Numbness
- Memory related issues
In addition to these common problems, MS may lead to other issues as well. Symptoms may vary depending on the level of the damage caused to the brain and nerve cells. In case of severity, it can even disable the patient to speak or walk properly. The consequences related to MS are no clear. As per the scientists, it is caused by the combination of different factors. Studies are being undertaken in genetics, epidemiology and immunology to understand the factors that may be responsible for it.
Researchers have stated that MS is an immune-mediated process in which the healthy cells of our body get damaged by the attack of immune system. After years of research, scholars have identified the immune cells that are more likely to affect the nervous system. Also, they have found out some of the causes behind these attacks. However, research is still going on and a lot needs to be known for better treatment and understanding of MS.
Scientists, involved in MS research studies, have stated that the location, demography, migration patterns, and ethnic background are some of the important factors affecting the incidence of Multiple Sclerosis. For instance, the disease more likely affects people located away from the equator. Likewise, it is known to affect women more than men. Some scientists have linked the disease with Vitamin D also. People living close to the equator have sufficient levels of Vitamin D, which is supposed to have positive impact on immune functioning, compared to the people living away from the equator. Though the relation between MS and sunlight is not well-established, scientists are trying to find out the linkage by undertaking an epidemiological study in Australia.
Despite the fact that MS is not hereditary in the strict sense, the risk of developing it increases manifolds if parents or siblings have ever been affected by it. Diagnosis is not easy as in most of the cases, symptoms often come and disappear for months thereby making it difficult to understand whether any problem exists in reality or not. A close scrutiny on the patient's behavior over time can help diagnosing the disease. Doctors frequently use a combination of physical examination, neurological tests, and MRI for the diagnosis. It is advised that symptoms similar to that of MS should not be ignored in any case. Though they may disappear, the patient's behavior plus medical examination can help in early diagnosis. There is no treatment for MS but medicines are available to slow down its progress . Now a days, doctors recommend a combination of occupational and physical therapies that can control MS faster than the medicines.
Conclusion and Future Study
Multiple sclerosis is a disease with many unexplored facets. Further research is required to have a detailed understanding of its causes, symptoms and treatment. It is very important to examine all these aspects in detail for better handling and treatment of the disease.
References
Medicine Plus. (2012). Retrieved October 25, 2013, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/multiplesclerosis.html
National MS Society. (2013). national mssociety. Retrieved October 25, 2013, from http://www.nationalmssociety.org/about-multiple-sclerosis/what-we-know-about-ms/what-causes-ms/index.aspx
