Cause of debilitating nerve disease still not fully understood
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, as it is often referred to, is one of those diseases that seldom grabs the headlines. It is however an unpredictable and at times disabling disease of the central nervous system that affects more than 2,5 million people the world over.
What is multiple sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis is not a contagious disease, and it is not hereditary, so where does it come from? The exact causes of MS are not completely known although recent research has been revealing, bringing us closer to understanding many of the mysteries surrounding the disease.
Mounting evidence suggests a link between MS and exposure to the Epstein Barr virus, the virus that causes glandular fever. Researchers have found that patients with MS carry a population of immune cells that overreact to Epstein-Barr virus, with some people being extra susceptible to developing MS.
It would seem that genetics also plays a role in the development of MS along with a lack of vitamin D, which is manufactured in the human body after exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun's rays.
A disease of the central nervous system
According to Multiple Sclerosis South Africa, the disease attacks the myelin sheath, which protects the nerves within the central nervous system, leaving behind many scleroses, or scars (hence multiple sclerosis). This can affect nerves anywhere in the body, and interrupts the flow of communication between the brain and the body, which is why those suffering from the disease can develop such a range of impairments.
MS is a disease characterised by a feeling of loss of control over your body. The cause is still not fully known, but the consequences can be devastating, as the disease attacks the brain, spinal cord and nerves of the eye, causing physical debilitation and a number of different types of disabilities.
Early symptoms may include:
An unpredictable disease
Just how much disability you will experience from MS, and when, is largely unpredictable, like so much else about this disease. Most people with MS experience occasional relapses that tend to advance the progress of the disease. However, patients may live for many years without their condition deteriorating.
What can be done?
Most patients with a diagnosis of MS can expect no real difference to their life expectancy. And with advances in treatment, many of those years will be productive and free of serious disability.
Although there is no cure for MS, much can be done to treat symptoms, and new drugs can delay the progression of the disease.
Using state of the art bio-engineering techniques, interferon beta 1a, which is the same as the natural interferon beta, can be manufactured and administered to MS patients. Interferons are proteins naturally produced in the body, and one of them, interferon beta has been proven to be active in MS. Interferon beta 1a is able to extend the time between relapses by almost double. It also reduces the total number of relapses and their severity. This seems to be a consequence of the interferon's ability to enhance the actions of the immune system.
Progression
As the disease progresses, those suffering from the condition may experience severe fatigue and loss of mobility. Being dependent on others for help, constantly having to ask for assistance can be devastating and depressing. Under these circumstances, or for a time just after a severe relapse, people with MS can enhance their independence with the use of a wheelchair.
Out in the open
One serious consequence of the public's misunderstanding of MS has a huge impact on how people cope with the disease. Because employers in particular don't realise that a person with MS has a good life expectancy, and can be helped by modern drugs to remain productive, patients are afraid to tell employers that they have MS as they fear they will lose their jobs. This secrecy may result in feelings of depression and anxiety for the person who has MS.
People with MS must not be scared to seek help from the start, MS is not that common but there are many sufferers. It is also important to remember that because there is no cure it does not mean that there is no treatment.
Understanding
One final factor that may impact on your emotional state if you have MS is the understanding of friends and family. MS people need help when they ask for it but, most of all, they need the affirmation that they will be treated as ordinary human beings.
Awareness and understanding of the disease by the general public will help everyone with MS, and the people who live with them and care about them.
If you would like to know how GEMS can assist you to obtain more information about any of your healthcare needs, you can phone the GEMS call centre on 0860 00 4367. GEMS will assist you in every way possible to ensure your family's health and wellbeing.
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