Multiple sclerosis (MS)

The etiology of multiple sclerosis is uncertain. It is classified as an immunological-mediated illness, in which the body's immune system assaults its own tissues. In MS, the immune system malfunctions and destroys myelin, the fatty material that covers and protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord.

Myelin is comparable to the insulation covering on electrical cables. When the protecting myelin is broken and the nerve fiber becomes exposed, the messages that pass along it may be delayed or halted.

It is unclear why MS affects some people but not others. A mix of genetic and environmental variables appears to be involved.

There are no specific symptoms that would accurately indicate the development of multiple sclerosis. All symptoms are nonspecific and indicate a certain degree of damage to the nervous system. In multiple sclerosis, symptoms often disappear after a single onset. Multiple sclerosis can also have a remission stage when the severity of symptoms is significantly reduced or disappears altogether.

Common symptoms include:

• Numbness or weakness in one or more limbs that typically occurs on one side of your body at a time
• Tingling
• Electric-shock sensations that occur with certain neck movements, especially bending the neck forward (Lhermitte sign)
• Lack of coordination
• Unsteady gait or inability to walk
• Partial or complete loss of vision, usually in one eye at a time, often with pain during eye movement
• Prolonged double vision
• Blurry vision
• Vertigo
• Problems with sexual, bowel and bladder function
• Fatigue
• Slurred speech
• Cognitive problems
• Mood disturbances

People with multiple sclerosis may develop:

• Muscle stiffness or spasm
• Severe weakness or paralysis, usually in the legs.
• Issues with bladder, bowel, or sexual function
• Cognitive issues, such as forgetfulness or difficulty finding words.
• Mood disorders, including sadness, anxiety, and mood swings
• Seizures are quite infrequent.

See a doctor if you experience any of the above symptoms for unknown reasons.

Most MS patients have a relapsing-remitting illness course. They have periods of new symptoms or relapses that last for days or weeks and generally resolve partially or fully. These relapses are followed by extended periods of illness remission, which can last months or even years.

Small temperature rises might temporarily aggravate MS symptoms. These are not actual illness relapses, but rather pseudorelapses.

Within 10 to 20 years of disease beginning, at least 20% to 40% of people with relapsing-remitting MS will see a continuous development of symptoms, with or without periods of remission. This is referred to as secondary progressive MS.

Symptoms that intensify often include issues with movement and gait. Secondary-progressive MS patients have a wide range of disease progression rates.

Some persons with MS have a slow beginning and consistent progression of signs and symptoms with no relapses, which is known as primary progressive MS.

There is no cure for multiple sclerosis. Treatment is often intended to accelerate recovery from attacks, reduce the incidence of subsequent radiological and clinical relapses, and delay disease development. Some people's symptoms are so minor that no therapy is required.

Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis Attacks

• Corticosteroids are used to decrease inflammation in nerve tissues.
• Plasmapheresis. The liquid portion of your blood (plasma) is extracted and separated from the blood cells. The blood cells are then combined with a protein solution (albumin) and injected back into the body. Plasmapheresis may be utilized if the symptoms are severe, new, and unresponsive to steroids.

Treatment to alter the development of multiple sclerosis:

There are several modifying medicines available for treating relapsing-remitting MS.

Much of the immune response associated with MS takes place in the early stages of the illness. Aggressive therapy with these treatments as soon as feasible can minimize the frequency of relapses, limit the growth of new nerve tissue lesions, and perhaps lower the risk of brain atrophy and impairment.

Many of the disease-modifying therapies used to treat MS pose serious health hazards. Choosing the best medication for you will need careful evaluation of a number of criteria, including the duration and severity of your condition, the efficacy of past MS therapies, other health issues, cost, and pregnancy status.

Relapsing-remitting MS can be treated with injectable, oral, and infusion drugs such as beta-interferon, glatiramer acetate, monoclonal antibodies, teriflunomide, dimethyl fumarate, and many more.

Today, more and more researchers agree that complex treatment, such as a combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and other methods, is the most progressive direction of symptomatic treatment of MS.