Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system (i.e., brain and spinal cord), in which the body’s immune system targets and sabotages myelin, a protective sheath made up of the fatty substance that safeguards nerve fibers. As a result of this abnormal change, the brain and spinal cord develop lesions or even fibrous tissues. The degree of these lesions dictates how severe an MS patient’s symptoms will be.
This disease impacts people of all ages and ethnicities, but it is most common in people between the ages of 20 and 50. MS is two to three times as probable to affect women than men. But it has varied effects on different people. Some have mild symptoms and can lead relatively normal lives, while others may be more severely affected by more frequent and, long-lasting symptoms and disability.
These symptoms can include numbness, muscle weakness/muscle spasm, paralysis, limitations in thinking and learning, trouble with coordination and balance, vision problems, tremor or trembling (especially in the arms), slurred speech, and unfamiliar pain, urinary incontinence and trouble with bowel control. It can also cause fatigue and depression.
In most people with MS, the disease proceeds in a relapsing-remitting pattern: there are periods when symptoms flare up for a while (relapse), followed by periods when symptoms subside (remission). Some people have chronic progressive MS, which means that their symptoms never go away completely and worsen over time. There is no cure for MS, but treatments and medications can relieve symptoms and slow the intensity of the disease.
