Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, chronic disease of the central
nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) in which inflammation and
breakdown in the protective insulation (myelin sheath) surrounding the nerve
fibers of the central nervous system occurs.
MS symptoms are highly individual and vary in both severity and duration. MS
can cause blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred
speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, and even paralysis and
blindness. These problems might be permanent, or they might occur
sporadically.
Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, but the
unpredictable physical and emotional effects can last the rest of their
lives. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in any one person
cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research treatment are giving hope
to people affected by the disease.
Twice as many women as men have MS. Studies indicate that genetic factors
may make certain individuals more susceptible to the disease, but there is
no evidence that MS is directly inherited. It occurs more commonly among
Caucasians, especially those of northern European ancestry, but people of
African, Asian, and Hispanic backgrounds are not immune.
There are approximately one third of a million Americans with MS, and every
week about 200 people are diagnosed with the disease-more than one person
every hour.
Theresa Layne of Gruetli-Laager was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in
January 2001. Her symptoms could be traced as far back as seven years
before.
Her initial symptoms occurred soon after having a flu shot. She went to her
family physician complaining of numbness and burning, and cold patches up
and down her legs. The family physician passed it off as a strange reaction
to her flu shot. The next year, again following a flu vaccine, Ms. Layne
began having numbness in her arms. The physicians had a MRI done of her neck
which was negative, and again it was passed off as a reaction to the shot.
Soon afterwards, while working in the Emergency Room at Vanderbilt, Ms.
Layne began having memory loss and confusion. She though that maybe the
symptoms were from the depression following the death of her father or
because she was burned out from working in a trauma center. At this time,
she decided to leave Vanderbilt and go to work at St. Thomas hospital. She
worked there for three years. Most of her time was spent working in the
nursery, until it closed. Theresa then moved to the operating room and had
been there for nine months before having to leave work due to illness.
Theresa had gotten to the point where she was forgetting how to use the
operating machines in the O.R., even if she had used them that same day. Her
fine motor skills had gotten to the point where she could no longer open
some of the sterile packs. One of Theresa's friends had memorized her locker
combination for the days when she couldn't remember it herself.
Her loss of work has caused her to lose her home, new truck and her Harley
Davidson.
She has moved closer to her family for emotional and physical support. Over
the last year she has had to resort to using a wheelchair, a four-legged
cane and a special walker just to get around.
Symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary greatly from person to person and
from time to time in the same person. For instance, one person may
experience abnormal fatigue, while another person may have severe vision
problems. While one person with MS may have loss of balance and muscle
coordination-making walking and everyday tasks difficult to perform-another
person with MS may have slurred speech, tremors, stiffness, and bladder and
bowel problems. Even severe symptoms may disappear completely and the person
will regain lost functions. In the worst cases, people have partial or
complete paralysis on a permanent basis.
In MS, symptoms result when inflammation and breakdown occur in myelin, the
protective insulation surrounding the nerve fibers of the central nervous
system (brain and spinal cord). Myelin is destroyed and replaced by scars of
hardened "sclerotic" patches of tissue. Such lesions are called "plaques,"
and appear in "multiple" places within the central nervous system. This can
be compared to a loss of insulating material around an electrical wire,
which interferes with the transmission of signals. Some nerve fibers are
actually severed in association with the loss of myelin.
MS is not a fatal disease. The projected life span for most people with MS
is 93% of the non-MS population. People who have MS can be expected to have
a normal or near-normal life expectancy.
The majority of people with MS do not become severely disabled. Two-thirds
of people who have MS remain able to walk, though many will need an aid,
such as a cane or crutches, and some will use a scooter or wheelchair to
help fight fatigue.
Genetic factors may make certain individuals more susceptible to the
disease.
There is not yet a cure for MS, however, advances in treating and
understanding MS are achieved daily and progress in research to find a cure
is very encouraging. In addition, many therapeutic and technological
advances are helping people manage symptoms and lead more productive lives.
There are now several FDA-approved medications known to modify or slow down
the underlying course of MS.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society recommends that you begin treatment
with one of three drugs: Avonex, Betaseron, or Copaxone, as soon as you are
diagnosed with a relapsing form, the most common kind of MS. (Note, the FDA
recently approved interferon beta 1a-Rebif-for relapsing forms of MS.) These
drugs help to lessen the frequency and severity of MS attacks, reduce the
accumulation of lesions in the brain, and slow progression of disability. In
addition, Novantrone has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of
worsening (secondary-progressive) MS. Novantrone is the first therapy
approved in the U.S. for secondary-progressive MS. The lifetime dose is
limited due to cardiac toxicity.
There also are many therapies available to treat symptoms such as spasticity,
pain, bladder problems, fatigue, and weakness. People should consult with a
knowledgeable physician to develop the most comprehensive approach to
managing their MS.
In early MS, elusive symptoms that come and go might indicate any number of
possible disorders. Some people have symptoms very difficult for physicians
to interpret, and these people must "wait and see." While no single
laboratory test is yet available to prove or rule out MS, magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) is a great help in reaching a definitive diagnosis.
ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND
MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS
OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR
LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND
COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"
