who is at risk and what is Multiple Sclerosis
Coming From the Latin and Greek terms “multus and plica” & “sklerosis” meaning ‘plus and fold’ and ‘hardening respectively, the word Multiple Sclerosis is defined, according to MediLexicon’s medical dictionary, as a "common demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system, causing pieces of sclerosis (plaques) in the brain and spinal cord; This takes place primarily in younger adults, and has protean clinical manifestations, depending on the place and size of the plaque; ususal symptoms are sight loss, diplopia, nystagmus, dysarthria, fragility, paresthesias, bladder abnormalities, and mood variations; normally, the plaques are "separated in time and space" and clinically the indications show exacerbations and remissions".
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Multiple Sclerosis is a condition where someone’s own immune system attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is why it is referred to as an auto-immune disease. The central nervous system is comprised of the optic nerves, the brain and the spinal cord.
In the human body, the nerve fibers are encapsulated by a white, fatty substance known myelin that protects these nerve fibers. In addition, myelin aids in conducting electrical signals (or nerve impulses) and in turn assists with the smooth flow of impulses from the brain and throughout the nervous system.
A patient with Multiple Sclerosis will have depleted myelin in various areas throughout the nervous system (or multiple areas) and this results in a scar (which is where the term sclerosis is derived). These areas where there are low levels or no myelin at all are known as plaques or lesions. As these plaques deteriorate, the nerve fibers can be damaged or even destroyed.
Where there are low levels of myelin surrounding the nerve fibers, the electrical impulses sent from the brain do not flow smoothly to the nerve being targeted. Nerve fibers that do not have myelin are unable to conduct these impulses at all. These impulses are virtual instructions relayed by the brain to carry out an action or more than one action, such as make a facial expression or take a step. MS is an illness where the patient is unable to make the body work in the way the brain instructs it to.
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Who’s at risk?
a.) People of all ages can get Multiple Sclerosis. It is most prevalent in twenty to fifty year olds and affects more females than it does males.
b.) It is thought that people of European origin are more likely to contract the condition as opposed to people of other ethnic descent. But, a person of any ethnic origin can get MS.
c.) Some think a person’s genetics can foretell there chances of getting the condition but scientists claim there is no concrete evidence that MS is passed on through generations.
It was predicted that almost two and a half million people have Multiple Sclerosis worldwide, according to a survey carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2007.
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* This Article is provides information about Multiple Sclerosis only.
***YOU MUST ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TAKING ANY MEDICAL ADVICE OF ANY KIND***