Multiple Sclerosis: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments
By: James S.
Submitted: 2009-11-15 17:50:45 | Word Count: 543
Multiple sclerosis, also called as MS in short, is a nervous disorder which affects the central nervous system .i.e. brain and spinal cord. This causes imbalance between body organs and the brain which results in down fall of vision, hearing capabilities and muscle strength. It’s because of lack of a substance in nerves called myelin which is gradually destroyed due to MS disorder.
This myelin serves as a shield cover for the nerves which transmit brain signals. Without this myelin, it’s very difficult for brain and spinal cord to coordinate with each other and this result in the failure of functioning of many organs in the body. There are generally 4 stages in multiple sclerosis from initial stage to final stage called as ‘progressive MS’.
[ advertisement ]
In most of the cases multiple sclerosis is not a fatal disorder. However there are some exceptions in rare conditions where they suffer from other parallel diseases to MS. Proper treatment and care can help MS affected patients to lead a normal life for longer time.
Causes of Multiple Sclerosis Disease
There are no specific causes for multiple sclerosis to take care from. But most studies and researches say that it’s an autoimmune disease, which means the human immune system erroneously attacks the myelin tissue in central nervous system. But still there are still no clear reports why immune system acts abnormal only in MS patients. There are high chances of inheriting MS from the parental genes too.
Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis Disease
Symptoms of MS differ from one person to other. Most of the times, they depend on the area of brain and spinal cord which got affected. Muscle weakness, blurred vision and pain in back are the most common symptoms of the MS. In later stages of MS, sudden downfall of vision, walking problems and electric shock kind of sensation in lower back are commonly observed. Due to the lack of coordination between brain and spinal cord, patient faces balancing problems like spinning feeling or wooziness so often. Control on urination, gripping of objects and downfall of memory are also caused due to multiple sclerosis. MS also leads a patient to extreme depression and many other mental disorders.
Available Treatments
Once diagnosed and confirmed, it’s very important as a patient to know the all available treatments for multiple sclerosis. MS cannot be cured completely. A patient has to alter his lifestyle accordingly to lead a quality life by minimizing all symptoms. Medicines can be used to reduce the effects of muscle pains, weakness, fatigue, depression and other genital related problems. There are medicines available for multiple sclerosis which controls the pulse strokes thus delaying disease intensity.
But these medicines have very strong side effects and in some cases it goes very difficult for patient to tolerate them. But according to experts, it’s always best to continue medicine for MS keeping long term interests in mind. There are some therapies available to soothe the pains that are caused by MS. These include physical therapy, occupational and speech therapies. Apart from these, a MS patient need to mould his lifestyle well with good nutritious diet plan and regular exercises to keep the intensity of disease to minimum for long time.
