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About MS
MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease
that affects the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS consists of the brain,
spinal cord, and the optic nerves. Surrounding and protecting the nerve fibers
of the CNS is a fatty tissue called myelin, which helps nerve fibers conduct
electrical impulses.
In MS, myelin is lost in multiple areas,
leaving scar tissue called sclerosis. These damaged areas are also known as
plaques or lesions. Sometimes the nerve fiber itself is damaged or broken.
Myelin not only protects nerve fibers, but
makes their job possible. When myelin or the nerve fiber is destroyed or
damaged, the ability of the nerves to conduct electrical impulses to and from
the brain is disrupted, and this produces the various symptoms of MS.
Depending on where
the myelin is destroyed causes the varied symptoms of MS. Some of these
symptoms can affect and cause:
- Balance and coordination -
Dizziness, unsteadiness, stumbling, falling, and difficulty making muscle
groups work together, especially in the limbs. While a person may have
reasonable control of each arm and leg, getting them to perform in a
coordinated manner can be problematic. This type of discoordination is
known as ataxia. When this condition affects walking, it is called gait
ataxia.
- Muscle stiffness combined with uncontrollable muscle
contractions can cause a painful condition called spasticity. Shaking of
the hands, known as tremor, may limit the ability to write legibly, eat,
or accomplish tasks requiring dexterity without assistance.
- Bladder/bowel control -
Increased urinary urgency and/or frequency, incontinence, hesitancy,
constipation. These symptoms can cause extreme anxiety as a person
experiences the need to urinate abnormally often. It may become difficult
to keep from evacuating the bladder spontaneously, causing a person to
"wet" himself or herself. Or a sufferer may feel the need to
urinate or defecate but cannot.
- Pain - Sharp, intense, sometimes
burning, localized pain. Common locations include the face - a condition
known as trigeminal neuralgia -- and in or behind the eyes. Although the
pain seems to come from a specific part of the body, there is generally no
actual damage at the perceived site.
Pain may also be the result of compensating physical adjustments due to
diminished function. For example, if strength in the lower body is
adversely affected, increased use of the upper body may produce muscle or
joint discomfort.
- Fatigue
- An
unusually deep and persistent tiredness that will not subside regardless
of rest. Half of all MS patients report that fatigue is their worst
problem. In some cases, the flu-like exhaustion of chronic fatigue may
interfere with patients' ability to work or complete daytime activities.
Fortunately for those individuals, there are now treatments available
which can help to restore wakefulness and raise energy levels. Although
fatigue usually accompanies a relapse, it does not indicate a relapse when
it occurs in isolation.
- Sensation - Tingling, numbness,
or other peculiar feelings in the arms, legs, trunk, or face. These
strange sensations are known as dysesthesia.
- Speech - A slowing of the speech
pattern, slurring of words, and/or rhythmic disruptions in the cadence of
speech known as dysarthria. This latter symptom can make speech sound
disjointed and labored. These dysfunctions are caused by discoordination
of the tongue, lips, palate and vocal cords when controlling impulses from
the cerebellum are interrupted.
- Sexual function - Inability to
become sexually aroused and climax. Interrupted nerve impulses may short
circuit the physical mechanisms of sexual desire, adversely affecting
erectile function in males, vaginal sensation and lubrication in females,
and the ability to achieve orgasm in both sexes.
- Thought process - Confusion,
anxiety, and depression. Inflammation of brain nerves can cause a variety
of troubling cognitive effects. Sufferers may not feel mentally sharp or
in complete control of their faculties. Frightening physical symptoms,
loss of function, and the prospect of deteriorating quality of life may
also lead to situationally triggered mental conditions.
- Vision - Blurred or double
vision. Most often the optic neuritis attacks affect only one eye at a
time. Normal vision is usually restored within a few weeks. Demyelination
of the optic nerve usually diminishes the ability to distinguish between
colors.
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Weakness - Decreased strength
and endurance throughout the body, most commonly in the legs.
Demyelination disturbs the ability of muscles to properly contract and
relax, limiting activity. Over time, the inability to use muscles fully
can lead to the diminishment of muscle mass, a condition known as
disuse atrophy.
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