What do you need to know about multiple sclerosis
1. Multiple Sclerosis:
Multiple Sclerosis is one amongst the widely afflicting diseases today. It can be interpreted to be a disease of nervous system where it worsens over a period of time with loss of feeling and loss of control of movement and speech. So, MS attacks the individual's central nervous system that is constituted of different nerves and nerve fibers. It involves a threat to his brain, spinal cord and eye or optical nerves. Basically MS hampers or destructs the protein that safeguards the nerve fibers. This protective protein is known as myelin and it aids in the communication between nerve cells. Once myelin gets burnt up, a breakdown occurs in the nerve cells' co-ordination. Its effect is visible in the behavior (that drifts from normal to abnormal) of the individual. Along with this there appear lesions and plaques occur on that part of the body where demyelination takes place. But this is not all. Most often the cells that help in regaining myelin are even eliminated. The individual's body then succumbs to damage and disability.
2. Invoking and Provoking Multiple Sclerosis: Various conditions are deemed to invite multiple sclerosis.
• An individual's genes are the first and foremost factor that contributes to the risk of developing MS at any stage of life. Medical research reveals that the kids born of those parents where either of them has a history of MS, are largely prone to it.
• Apart from the genes, an environment change is also instrumental in causing MS.
• Viruses of diseases such as herpes, measles, flu etc. have proved to be quite effective in invoking multiple sclerosis.
• Hormones, especially the sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone have weakened the immunity system and instigated MS.
3. The Indications:
MS may be exposed differently in different people or a single person may face various symptoms. Actually, the time MS strikes the nervous system, it becomes manifested via some or the other indicator. For instance, as soon as demyelination begins, the individual may experience lack of balance of his body, tremors, a paralytic attack and so forth. Gradually, these symptoms translate to outburst
of the disease.
4. The Varying Features:
According to doctors, there are differing types of multiple sclerosis. The primary is the Relapsing- Remitting MS. As the name suggests, relapsing MS is that where MS dissolves or disappears but only initially, it recurs after a span of time. After relapsing, the disease begins to catch pace and so injure the spinal cord and brain.
If the nervous system starts worsening right after the inception of the symptoms, it is Progressive-Relapsing MS. Similarly there are Primary-Progressive and Secondary Progressive stages of Multiple Sclerosis. At the onset of this disease, the doctors by studying the symptoms determine or adjudicate which form it will take.
5. Diagnosing and Medication
Right after the perception of MS indicators, in order to confront the actual status of multiple sclerosis, doctors ask the individual to undergo different tests. MRI and blood tests are commonly advised to estimate the actual status of the disease. Besides the tests, medicines too are prescribed. There are quite a few good drugs available in the market such as Avonex, Rebif etc. However, MS does not seem to be cured by any of these measures then chemotherapy is the final resort. It is an extremely difficult treatment but it entails positive results.
6. Precautionary Measures:
• The best possible defence against all diseases is the intake of a rich balanced diet that strengthens the immunity system.
• If an individual has a background of diseases like hypertension, kidney issues and fluid retention etc. then the doctor ought to be ultra cautious prior to recommending any medicine. For there can be many serious hostile effects of these antibiotics.
• Those who fear MS due to appearance of some similar symptoms must go for an instant check up. Otherwise also, the people born of any of the MS parents must pay extra heed to their health ad consult doctor time and again.
• The effects of an environmental change should be carefully studied before making any trip to a foreign place.
About the Author
Mansi gupta writes about multiple sclerosis .
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