Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease that affects the central
nervous system. Considering the fact that the disease involves
dysfunctions at the level of the nervous system, multiple sclerosis can
generate a wide spectrum of symptoms. In the absence of an appropriate
medical treatment, multiple sclerosis can aggravate over the years,
causing irreversible damage to the entire organism. Multiple sclerosis
is mainly manifested through states of pronounced fatigue, body
weakness, poorly coordinated movement of the body, poor balance and
muscle pain, numbness, weakness or spasms.
In later stages of the disease, multiple sclerosis can generate
decreased vision, inaccurate and slow perceptions of external stimuli,
mental confusion, poor concentration and even short-term memory loss.
Another common feature to people who suffer from multiple sclerosis is
depression. Statistics indicate that more than 75 percent of people
affected by multiple sclerosis also suffer from depression.
As indicated by statistics, there are around 2 million people affected
by multiple sclerosis worldwide, and their numbers are continuously
rising. In the United States alone, there are around 350.000 reported
cases of multiple sclerosis. For some reason, this form of neurological
disease mostly affects young people. Multiple sclerosis has the highest
prevalence in people with ages between 20 and 40, and the disease is
rarely developed by people at more advanced stages of life. Another
interesting aspect of multiple sclerosis is that it tends to affect
mostly women. Although multiple sclerosis can also be developed by men,
the disease is very common in women.
Multiple sclerosis involves an inflammatory process at the level of the
nervous system, causing a destruction of myelin, a very important
substance that surrounds the nervous cells of the body (neurons).
Myelin has a vital role in the transmission of nervous impulses between
neurons, establishing connections between the central nervous system
and the rest of the body. When myelin is damaged, the transmission of
electrical impulses between nervous cells is perturbed, considerably
slowing down the body’s response to external stimuli. Destruction of
myelin can lead to serious dysfunctions of the nervous system, causing
various abnormal neuropsychological manifestations.
Multiple sclerosis is diagnosed upon various criteria. External
manifestations of the disease are not sufficient in diagnosing patients
with multiple sclerosis. Therefore, the process of diagnosing multiple
sclerosis often involves analysis of the nervous cells’ integrity
(especially the integrity of the myelin), blood tests and a careful
examination of patients’ neurological manifestations.
Once patients are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, they are
prescribed an appropriate medical treatment. Through the means of
medical treatments, specific therapies and lifestyle changes, people
who suffer from multiple sclerosis can gradually experience an
amelioration of their symptoms. Appropriate diet, healthy sleep
patterns and minimal stress conditions greatly contribute to an
improvement of the overall condition of people with multiple sclerosis.
If multiple sclerosis is timely discovered, the medications and
therapies available today can overcome the damage caused at the level
of the nervous system and patients with the disease can be successfully
recovered from the disease.
