Defining and Describing Multiple Sclerosis

Using medical terms we can say that multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system, meaning the brain and the spinal cord.

Studies done on groups of individuals with the disorder has come up with the conclusion that women are much more affected than man. Still, in both cases the disease begins between the ages of 20 to 40.

Scientists and doctor have yet to give a conclusive answer to the question: what causes multiple sclerosis? Still some breakthroughs have been made and with the help of modern medicine they have discovered that the factor that determines the onset of the disease may be the damage done to the myelin sheath, the myelin being the material that surrounds the nerve cells protecting them. Being a progressive disease, the symptoms of the patients present are only going to get worse over time. As said before, because the layer of myelin is destroyed, the body ends up damaging its own nerve cells, thus leading the nerves system to a total and fatal collapse.

Another fact that results from the destruction of myelin is inflammation. To even worsen things inflammation may to often slow or block the nervous impulses from reaching their designated target. Because of this symptoms specific to multiple sclerosis may appear. Flare ups or repeated inflammations can occur in different areas of the brain or the spinal column.

Attack intensities may vary a lot over time, the bad thing being that they vary for the worse. At the beginnings episodes may last a couple of days, but as time goes by and the disease worsens, they tend to last longer and longer sometimes reaching the order of month. The time between episodes may also tend to get smaller and smaller with the passing of time and the agravation of the disorder.

Scientist have also come up with what is believed to be a second trigger in the disease. Studies made on patients with multiple sclerosis have revealed that these people have a larger number of immune cells than normal healthy people do. Genetic defects or the actions of viruses are thought to cause symptoms to appear. The genetic factor has revealed that the most likely to develop this disorder are the Caucasians. Also geographical studies made on different populations of people around the globe have determined that an environmental factor may also be involved in triggering the disease.

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