Living with Multiple Sclerosis

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A description of MS!

Multiple Sclerosis is thought to be an autoimmune disease that effects the central  nervous system(CNS).  It effects the brain, spinal cord, amd the optic nerves. Surrounding and protecting the nerve fibres is some fatty tissue called myelin, which helps nerve fibres conduct electrical impulses.
 
In ms, Myelin is lost in mutiple areas, leaving scar tissue. This is usually damaged and are known as plaques or lesions, sometimes damaged or broken.
 
Myelin not only protects nerve fibres, when the myelin or the nerve fyber becomes destroyed or damaged, the ability of the nerves to conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain is disrupted, and then this produces the symptoms of ms

People with ms can expect one of four clinical disgnosis, each of which maybe mild, moderate or severe. The four are:-
 
Relapsing-Remitting
Primary-Progressive
Secondary-Progressive
Progressive-Relapsing
 
Before diagnosis there must be evidence of two re-occurrances (relapses) which is defines clinically as the suddeen appearance or worsening of a MS symptom(s), which last at least 24 hours.
 
The two attack must be seperated in times usually at least one month and be in a different area(s) of the central nervous system.
 
There must be no other explanation for the attacks.

The tests that make a diagnosis of MS conclusive under specific guidelines are using the findings from a MRI,  cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and visual evoked potentials to provide evidence of the second attack and thereby confirm the diagnosis more quickly.  
 
These guidelines facilitate the diagnostic process in those patients who have had steady progression of disability without distinct attacks.

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