A Multiple Sclerosis Caregivers View - Understanding Multiple ...

When a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis is given, many people go through the medical investigative process of MRI and/or spinal tap. Fortunately, my husband had enough symptoms over the years to pretty much confirm the diagnosis. After two MRIs, one of his brain and one of his spinal cord, it was evident that he had this dreaded disease and did not require the dreaded spinal tap.

So just what is Multiple Sclerosis??

Thanks to the care we receive from our MS nurse and all the info provided to us by the manufacturers of his chosen drug Rebif; EMD Serono and Pfizer, we are never left out in the dark wondering what is going on. So with our personal nurse's help, we learned more than we could ever imagine about this disease. Multiple sclerosis means "many scars" and after seeing the MRI, and the doctor pointing to different places on his brain, we now know what these are. MS is a disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS consists of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves and the process of the development of these lesions or "scars" is called sclerosis.

Who gets Multiple Sclerosis?

• Over 2.5 million people around the world have MS.
• In the United States alone, there are over 400,000.?
• Women have MS twice as much as men.
• Diagnosis is mostly people between 15 and 60 years of age.
• MS is more common in Caucasians and those of Northern European descent. But people of any background can get MS.

What causes MS?

Unfortunately, the cause of MS is unknown. It is thought to be an autoimmune disease. A normal immune system helps fight foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria. During the occurrence of an autoimmune disease, something triggers the immune system to attack the body itself. Some health care providers believe that MS may be triggered by an infection; most likely a virus, but MS is not contagious.?

One thing our doctor told us when we asked about our future and the future of our children was to take large doses of Vitamin D. His theory was that sunlight seemed to play a major factor in MS. He feels that taking a multi-vitamin is fine, but extra Vitamin D is an important factor. When looking at the map of the world, countries with warmer climates have much less of the disease than places with cold winters and warm summers.?

What happens in MS?

The CNS is made up of nerve cells that send signals to each other. Each nerve cell, or neuron is covered with a protective coating called myelin. Myelin consists of cholesterol, which is required to cover the nerves and provide conduction. ?In multiple sclerosis, the myelin sheath is broken down and attacked. Imagine a string of pearls and each pearl has a coating of myelin and the string in between, called the axon is holding the pearls together. As the multiple sclerosis attacks the myelin sheath, the nerves break down resulting in a break of communication known as demyelinization, which can lead to permanent symptoms and disability.?

Source: Take on MS, developed by MS nurses, sponsored by EMD Serono, Inc. and Pfizer Inc.

Source: http://health-conditions.factoidz.com/a-multiple-sclerosis-caregivers-view-understanding-multiple-sclerosis/

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