What is the MSAA?
The MSAA or the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America is a non-profit organization that has a national affectation. Its main mission is to develop the quality of life for those who have multiple sclerosis or MS. With the MSAA, there is a wide variety of programs that they could choose from. These programs, no matter how diverse and different they get, are very good in managing services for those with MS, including their corresponding families.
What is it?
According to the MSAA, MS is actually the most common neurological disorder that is usually found in those in their young adulthood stage of development. Since its causes have still not yet been identified completely, researchers never stop in looking for the answers to questions that have been asked ages ago.
MS is not at all contagious. It does not quicken a life expectancy for those who have sadly developed this disease. It is a known fact that nothing can cure this disease and that prevention is not as easy as it may sound. But still, there are many treatment methods that are very successful in reducing the disease’s severity and slowing the progression down to a minimum.
What does it affect?
Multiple sclerosis usually affects the CNS or the central nervous system. This is made up of the brain, nerves and the spinal cord. With MS, the myelin is damaged, leading to incorrect transmission of impulses and messages. The myelin is an insulator for the nerves as it surrounds them. This is then given the medical term of axon.
In short, once multiple sclerosis takes its toll, nerve impulses that are usually transmitted from the brain and the spinal cord short circuits. Afterwards the body reduces, if not totally loses, its normal functioning.
Duration of effects
The effects that occur with MS probably differ with each person. In others who have had the disease in only over a short period of time. After this short period, things might be symptom-free for some time.
Many believe that MS is an autoimmune disorder. Actually, according to research, it is definitely an autoimmune disease. The body’s white blood cells or the fighter cells become misguided and attack its own cells, ones that are healthy all throughout the body. Once there is inflammation within the person’s head, then further damage to the myelin must be avoided.
Areas of inflammation
Those areas that have inflamed are given the term of lesions or plaques. They vary in number, location and size and these lesions can determine the type of multiple sclerosis that is occurring and just how severe the symptoms are. It is such a misfortune that MS is usually clinically silent with no increase in terms of the disease’s symptoms. However, there are obvious demonstrations of abnormal activity within the person’s head.
Scar tissues may also result on the big areas of the damaged myelin. The term multiple sclerosis actually came from back then with regards to a hardened plaque. The word multiple is congruent in meaning with many while sclerosis means scarring.
Multiple sclerosis is actually characterized by the disruption of the normal functioning of the peripheral nerve connections of the spinal cord and brain. It is a complex disease which is idiopathic, meaning that its cause remains unknown. This further means that multiple sclerosis is not easily prevented nor cured.
What is considered as compensation is the finding that multiple sclerosis is generally not a lifethreatening disorder. There are existing treatment methods that are able to successfully control the disease’s underlying symptoms. It is through these treatment modalities that the development of multiple sclerosis can be slowed and those with complaint are given chances to live active and normal lives.
The disease process of multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is believed to occur mainly because of the destruction of the myelin. Myelin a substance made up of adipose that insulates the nerve cells. Apart from providing protection for the tissues and the nerve cells, the myelin also serves as a facilitator in transmitting nerve impulses all through out the body.
When there is demyelization, the nerve tissues harden and the whole nervous system becomes damaged. It is the impairment of the nervous system that leads to the wide variety of multiple sclerosis symptoms.
Multiple sclerosis can actually be classified according to two characteristic groups which are relapsing - remitting type plus chronic - progressive type. The latter classification is further divided into three, primary - progressive, secondary - progressive and progressive - relapsing. These classifications are made according to the frequency and the intensity of the generated symptoms, including the disease’s rate of progression.
The relapsing - remitting type
This is the most ordinary form of multiple sclerosis. It majorly affects persons who are young or middle-aged. This type’s major characteristics are soft and tend to occur only in flares. It is after the short duration of the symptomatic flare-ups that remission occurs, thus producing unperceivable symptoms for a couple of weeks up to months.
The remission phase usually occurs naturally but the use of immunosuppressive medications can hasten the duration and the occurrence of its periods. Usually, after the remission phase has completely passed, a short relapse time follows. The relapse is commonly characterized by the strengthening of the disease’s general symptoms.
The chronic - progressive type
Multiple sclerosis cases are slow in progressing and do not involve spontaneous remission phases. This type predominantly affects those who are forty-five years old and above. Twenty percent of those with multiple sclerosis have the chronic - progressive type.
The primary - progressive subtype
The primary - progressive multiple sclerosis comprises of a predictable pattern of development. The aforementioned subtype gradually evolves without having any periods of remission. This subtype is commonly comprised of approximately ten percent of those who are definitively given the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
The secondary - progressive subtype
The secondary - progressive subtype affects half of those who are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, specifically the relapsing - remitting type. This subtype is usually involved with flare-ups that are also associated with some periods of remission.
The progressive - relapsing subtype
This last subtype of the chronic - progressive type of multiple sclerosis is actually a very rare form. Although this subtype is gradual in its progression, it is compensated with having only short periods of symptomatic flare-ups.
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