What is MS?
Multiple sclerosis, MS, is a debilitating disease that affects the brain and spinal cord also known as the central nervous system. Globally, more than 2.3 million people are living with MS. In the United States alone, nearly 1 million adults have been diagnosed with the disease.
It is autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s nerves by depleting the fatty layer that surrounds them, the myelin sheath. This layer is insulating and protective. Disease progression is also characteristic to MS as the condition worsens with time and there are chances of relapse.
This degradation of nerve fibers leads to issues with the way they communicate with other parts of the body specifically the brain and its commands. The depletion of the myelin sheath physically affects the body by causing symptoms that deeply affect quality of life.
People with MS experience miscommunication between the brain and body resulting in several uncomfortable symptoms like difficulty walking, tremors, numbing within the limbs, changes in vision, fatigue, and some organ dysfunction.
What are the risk factors?
Women are 2-3 times more likely to be diagnosed with MS. While there is no specific cause for the disease, people who smoke, have contracted the epstein barr virus, have a vitamin D deficency, are white, and have other autoimmune conditions are most at risk.
How to manage MS?
At the moment, there are no ways to cure MS. However, there are treatment plans to help combat some of the negative effects. Some food and drug administration (FDA) approved options include corticosteroids to reduce nerve inflammation and infusion treatments to soften relapses.
Corticosteroids can cause negative side effects like insomnia, changes in blood pressure and sugar, as well as changes in mood. Some infusions increase the risk for certain cancers like breast cancer and infections.
