By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2010-09-28 10:06:43 | Word Count: 664
Just as the seasons change, so does Multiple Sclerosis. Research now claims that Multiple Sclerosis will be more active in the spring and the summer months, opposed to the fall and winter months. The lesions in the brain and disease activity are more frequent in the summer months, opposed to that of the winter months.
[ advertisement ]
Multiple Sclerosis, also known as MS, affects over 400 thousand people in the United States, and more than 2 million people worldwide. Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease, but the exact cause is unknown. When a person has MS, the body will destroy healthy cells instead of destroying the diseased cells. Multiple Sclerosis is not an easy disease to diagnose, and it takes two episodes to confirm the diagnosis as MS. Common symptoms of MS may include: tingling, loss of balance, numbness, weakness in the limbs, blurred vision, slurred speech, onset of paralysis, lack of coordination, or cognitive difficulties. These symptoms may prove to be another illness or disease, but usually if you experience one or more of these symptoms, you will want to talk to a doctor about your condition.
Some people claim that genetic and environmental factors play a huge role in the development of Multiple Sclerosis. They claim that vitamin D, produced from the sunlight, can help a person prevent Multiple Sclerosis, or aid in the prevention of MS. Research has found that people with Multiple Sclerosis are farther from the equator, thus they have lower levels of vitamin D and are most at-risk for contracting this disease.
Researchers found that from March-to-August, new lesions on the brain formed two to three times higher than that of the winter months. The environment plays a huge role in active lesions, thus Multiple Sclerosis can be considered a higher prevalence through part of the year. Heat may play a role as well due to the increased lesions, because heat may have a stronger effect during the warmer weather, it is common to see active lesions during the summer months.
Multiple Sclerosis can appear at any time, in anyone, and can have more lesions at any point during the year, but some research is leaning toward seasonal changes that change the activity of the disease. They are not completely sure that the seasons play the role in changing MS patterns, as many other variables exist, such as: diet, heredity, lifestyle, and solar changes.
If you or a loved one is suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, make sure to try and get vitamin D for at least 15 minutes a day, but make sure to avoid significant heat and activity in the heat. The professionals also support the claim that a flu shot may help prevent new lesions from occurring in the brain. New research may or may not be in favor of the "seasonal MS" belief, but it will provide additional concepts and clues as to the cause of Multiple Sclerosis. The closer researches can get to the cause of the disease, the sooner a cure.
