Multiple Sclerosis
Background
MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS consists of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. MS primarily attacks the coating around nerve cells called myelin. This leaves a scar (also called plaques or lesions) at the site that interferes with nerve conduction and produces the symptoms of MS. Symptoms of MS vary depending on location of lesions.About 450,000 people in United States and Canada are living with MS at any given time. This is about 1/1000. Although the peak age of diagnosis is between 20 to 50 years old, approximately 2.7 to 5 percent of people are diagnosed before the age of 16. The majority of these cases are over the age of 10.
MS is more common in women than in men. It is more common in Caucasians than in Hispanics or African Americans. It is rare in Asians and other groups and more common in temperate areas of the world away from the Equator.
Diagnosis
No one knows the cause of MS. Researchers believe there is a genetic predisposition that is triggered by some infectious virus or bacteria in the environment. That means that MS is not genetically passed down from one generation to the next like hair color or eye color, but a combination of genes can make one person more susceptible to the disease than another person. Subsequently, the average risk of developing MS is 1 in 750 but the risk of a child whose parent has MS is 1 in 40.
Symptoms of MS include:
- Fatigue
- Changes in vision
- Weakness
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Pain
- Imbalance
- Stiffness
- Problems with bowel/bladder
- Emotional changes (including depression and anxiety)
- Speech difficulties
- Problems with thinking and memory
Treatment
There is no cure for MS but there are treatment options. Treatment is aimed toward managing symptoms and slowing disease progression. Corticosteroids are used for acute exacerbations especially in the early onset of disease. Exacerbations result in new symptoms or aggravation old symptoms by causing inflammation and demyelination in the CNS. Disease modifying agents such as injections of AVONEX, BETASERON, COPAXONE or REBIF are used for relapsing forms of MS.
Reviewed by: Gihan Tennekoon, MD
Date: October 2008
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