Multiple Sclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the Central Nervous
System which consist of the brain and spinal cord. It is also called
the disease of the “white matter” tissue. White matter consists of
nerve fibers which are responsible for transmitting communication
signals both internally within the CNS and between the CNS and the
nerves supplying the rest of the body. Multiple Sclerosis can be very
slow in destroying your CNS, which is why it makes it hard to
characterize.
People who are affected by this disease have patches of damage called
plaques or lesions that seem to appear randomly on the CNS white
matter. Multiple Sclerosis never affects any two people the same way
and each intervals disease is unique only to him or her, just like
fingerprints. The body's immune system attacks the outer nerve sheath
or myelin , which causes scarring or sclerosis , and this scarring
interferes with the transmission of the signals required for normal
operation.
The most common symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis are sensory in nature
including tingling, peculiar nerve sensations such as a
“pins-and-needles” feeling over part of the body, numbness or
paresthesias, clumsiness, weakness of a let or hand, visual
disturbances. Recent research indicates that the biochemical make-up of
lesions may vary between different forms of the disease, causing nerve
damage to one site usually causes completely different symptoms than
damage to another, and this is one of the reasons Multiple Sclerosis
differs so widely between people. People with Multiple Sclerosis can
experience partial or complete loss of any function that is controlled
by, or passes through, the brain or spinal cord. Inflammation happens
in areas of the white matter of the central nervous system in patches
and destruction of myelin is soon to follow. Myelin is the fatty
covering that insulates nerve cell fibers in the brain and spinal cord.
Other weaknesses occur in one or more of the extremities, slight
stiffness or unusual fatigue of the limb, spastic involuntary
movements, difficulty with bladder control, incontinence, vertigo, and
in some cases mild emotional disturbances. Excessive heat may intensify
symptoms.
Because the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis vary and can be very
unpredictable. It may affect the eyes first and usually only one eye at
a time. One may notice blurred or double vision, blind spot,
distortions of reds and greens, or blindness in both eyes. Certain
muscles may become weak or extremely stiff and prone to spasms; you may
start to have trouble talking because there are disturbance between the
central nervous system and the rest of your body. Half of all patients
with later stages of Multiple Sclerosis have problems with memory loss.
Once a doctor suspects the disease he or she will order an MRI scan to
look for signs on the brain and spinal cord. If you have any of the
symptoms described here, go to your doctor and get checked out. The
sooner you learn you have a disease, the sooner you can start fighting
it.
