Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Neurological conditions, like multiple sclerosis (MS), have many effects not only on the nervous system, but also on different parts of the body.

Multiple sclerosis (MS)

It’s a neurological and inflammatory disease that impacts the brain and spinal cord, which constitute the central nervous system in the body.

It usually manifests between the ages of 20 and 40, and it occurs in women more than men.

Types of multiple sclerosis:

• Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: The most common type. It causes flares of symptoms, followed by remission periods.
• Primary progressive multiple sclerosis: In some cases, the symptoms start slowly and worsen with time without clear relapses.
• Secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: In many cases, relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis progresses eventually to secondary progressive. In this case, nerve damage accumulates, and symptoms worsen progressively with periods of relapse.
• Clinically isolated syndrome: The patient has the first incidence of symptoms that refer to multiple sclerosis but doesn’t meet the MS criteria. This case could develop over time to become multiple sclerosis.

Causes and risk factors leading to multiple sclerosis (MS)

Multiple sclerosis occurs due to the destruction of myelin, which is a substance that forms the sheath that covers the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Nerve cells are responsible for transferring signals between the brain and the rest of the body.

Myelin is damaged because there is a problem in the immune system that makes it attack it, and sometimes it attacks the nerve cells, and this is why multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease.

There isn’t a specific reason for multiple sclerosis, yet it’s believed that there are some risk factors that trigger it, such as:

• Smoking.
• Toxin exposure, such as pesticides.
• Some viruses, such as the Epstein-Barr virus.
• Obesity in childhood.
• Genetic factors.
• Countries with cold weather and low sun appearance.
• Vitamin D deficiency.
• Stress and emotional traumas.
• Some autoimmune diseases, such as pernicious anemia, thyroid disease, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS)

Symptoms differ between patients, and they include:

• Numbness and weakness in one or two limbs that start on one side of the body.
• Tingling.
• Electric shock sensations in some neck movements, especially when bended forward.
• Unsteady walk.
• Unbalanced and lack of coordination.
• Muscle spasms and stiffness (tremors).
• Vertigo and dizziness.
• Fatigue.
• Slurred speech.
• Problems in cognitive functions, such as thinking, memory, and learning.
• Mood swings and depression.
• Vision problems, such as double vision (seeing two of the same thing), blurred vision, and partial or complete vision loss.
• Problems with sexual, bladder, and bowel function.

Complications of multiple sclerosis (MS)

• Extreme weakness or paralysis, usually in the legs.
• Difficulty walking without assistance.
• Loss of bladder or bowel control.
• Memory loss.
• Depression and anxiety.
• Sexual dysfunction.
• In rare cases, seizures.

Diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS)

There isn’t a specific test to diagnose multiple sclerosis, rather, it’s based on excluding other conditions that have similar symptoms. The following tests are requested:

• Blood and urine tests.
• Lumpur puncture, which means testing the cerebrospinal fluid.
• Imaging tests.
• Evoked potential test, which means testing the electrical activity in the brain and spinal cord.

Management of multiple sclerosis (MS)

There isn’t a treatment for multiple sclerosis, rather, the symptoms are managed through:

• Specific medications.
• Physical therapy.
• Psychological therapy.
• Avoiding smoking.
• Following a healthy lifestyle and exercising regularly.