Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease affecting the spinal cord and brain. It occurs as a result of the occurrence of inflammatory foci on myelin. This is adipose tissue located around the nerve fibers of the spine and brain, which protects them like the insulation of electrical wires. The defeat of the myelin sheath leads to the further spread of inflammatory foci throughout the central nervous system.
This disease should not be confused with senile sclerosis. The word "scattered" contained in its name means nothing more than the presence of small foci of ailment, which seem to be scattered throughout the nervous system. But "sclerosis" indicates the nature of the violations. This is a scar tissue that looks like a plaque. In medicine, it is called sclerotized.
Pathology prevalence
Patients with multiple sclerosis are usually young people between the ages of fifteen and forty. But the disease has exceptions. Sometimes it is observed both in childhood and in more mature age. However, when a person has stepped over his fifty-year milestone, the risk of this pathology decreases at times.
Multiple sclerosis in women is three times more common than in men. But at the same time they tolerate the disease more easily.
The prevalence of the disease is influenced by geographical and ethnic factors. So, people from North America and Northern Europe suffer most from multiple sclerosis. This is due to a lack of vitamin D, which is produced in the human body under the influence of sunlight. But Koreans, Chinese and Japanese practically do not know about this pathology.
Who else is affected by multiple sclerosis? The risk group is people living in large cities. In rural areas, pathology is less common. All these facts indicate that the development of multiple sclerosis is influenced by an adverse environment.
The disease is quite common. This is from 20 to 30 cases for every one hundred thousand people. Moreover, with the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, many young people get disabilities after their injuries.
Why does the disease occur?
The reason why multiple sclerosis occurs is still not clear. But in recent years, scientists have linked the development of this pathology with impaired functioning of genetics and the immune system.
In the normal state, our “body defense" reacts sharply to the penetration into the body of an object unknown to it, which can be any virus or microorganism. She first attacks the "invader", and then removes it. The speed of this process is affected by the speed of the connection between the links of the immune system, as well as the production of cells designed to eliminate the danger.
What happens with multiple sclerosis? Scientists believe that the immune system undergoes a change under the influence of the virus. She begins to perceive myelin as a dangerous object and attacks the cells of this adipose tissue. This phenomenon is called "autoimmunity."
After such an attack, the myelin sheath begins to recover. But while this process lasts, immunity exposes nerve fibers elsewhere. On the site of inflammation appears scar tissue in the form of plaques. They interfere with the normal transmission of impulses from the brain to all organs. As a result, a person loses the ability to effectively control the actions of his body.
Provocative factors
The development of multiple sclerosis is facilitated by:
- lack of vitamin D in the body;
- severe stress;
- a genetic predisposition, which is expressed in the presence of altered genes;
- bacterial and viral diseases.
Some scientists believe that hepatitis B vaccination contributes to the development of multiple sclerosis. However, this theory has not yet been confirmed.
There is also an opinion that the virus can cause pathology. For example, it may be a mutated measles pathogen. This theory is confirmed by the fact that in practice the condition of patients improves after the introduction of antiviral interferons.
Forms of ailment
What are the first signs of this pathology? Multiple sclerosis begins to manifest depending on the course of the disease, which may be:
- benign;
- primary progressive;
- remitting;
- secondary progressive;
- progressively remitting.
The first manifestations of benign multiple sclerosis are numerous seizures. However, after some time has passed, the periods of remission become longer. This occurs due to the restoration of the myelin sheath. A patient who has benign multiple sclerosis, treatment leads to almost complete recovery. This form, observed in 20% of such patients, never leads to disability.
What are the first signs of a primary progressive form? Multiple sclerosis in this case manifests itself with a gradual increase in neurological symptoms. Moreover, there are periods of stabilization of exacerbations, which are observed in 15% of patients. Despite the fact that multiple sclerosis in the primary progressive type passes without any particular exacerbations, it often leads to disability. More often this is observed in those people who became ill after forty years.
With a remitting form of pathology, what are its first signs? Multiple sclerosis in this case occurs with the manifestation of acute symptoms. It is very difficult to predict what they will be for each individual patient because of their differences. For example, in 85% of patients at the initial stage, the formation of neurological disorders. The next day they pass completely or begin to gradually regress. But sometimes periods of exacerbation are longer. They torment a person for several days or even weeks. It will take several months for the damaged fiber to return to normal. Only during this period a person ceases to suffer from symptoms of multiple sclerosis (if there is no constant formation of an autoimmune process). With the remitting form of multiple sclerosis, the functions of organs affected by the disease can be restored only partially.
With a secondary-progressive form, the symptoms of pathology increase gradually. Signs of the disease in this case appear after a cold or after inflammation of the respiratory system. Symptoms of a secondary progressive form of multiple sclerosis can also be traced against bacterial infections. At the initial stage, this type of pathology proceeds like a remitting form, that is, with an alternation of exacerbations and improvement of the condition. However, then the disease progresses. With this course, multiple sclerosis five years after the onset of the first symptoms leads a person to disability.
The most rare form of pathology is its progressively remitting type. In this case, the patient's condition worsens gradually. In addition, the progression of the disease is accompanied by acute attacks, after which there is a slight improvement in well-being.
How to recognize a disease?
When does pathology show its first signs? Multiple sclerosis is characterized by a long latent period, which in some cases is several years. This is due to the fact that at the initial stage, the functions of damaged nerve fibers are compensated for by healthy areas. The first symptoms of multiple sclerosis occur with lesions of 40 percent or more.
Multiple sclerosis in each person manifests itself in different ways. This disease does not have certain types of primary symptoms. But most often, the presence of an ailment in the body is indicated by visual impairment and loss of sensitivity.
The first signs of pathology depend on where the main center of multiple sclerosis is located. In this case, the symptoms can be primary, secondary and tertiary.
The first of them appear in connection with damage to the myelin sheath. This process leads to a deterioration in the patency of nerve impulses. Secondary symptoms appear already on the background of primary ones. Tertiary ones fully characterize the entire scale of the disease.
The first manifestations of pathology
At times, even qualified specialists cannot recognize the disease in the early stages of its manifestation. The reasons for these or other ailments they consider other ailments. That is why it is worth possessing information about the first signs of multiple sclerosis. This will help to timely identify the disease and begin its treatment.
So, at the initial stage, multiple sclerosis causes:
1. Visual impairment. The optic nerves are attacked by this disease. If the body develops multiple sclerosis, pain in the eyes of a person feels constantly. Sometimes they can occur only with the movement of the eyelid. Sometimes only one eye tingles, it seems that something has got into it. The fact that it’s time for a person to see a doctor is also indicated by a blurry or forked picture, as well as involuntary movements of the eyeballs.
2. Loss of balance. A patient with multiple sclerosis often has dizziness at the moment when he abruptly gets out of bed or must keep his body (for example, during dancing or cycling). This is due to the fact that the disease reaches the nerve cells of the spinal cord, which causes a loss of balance.
3. Violation of sensitivity. Among the first signs of multiple sclerosis are sensations of itching, burning, tingling or "goose bumps" in the legs or arms, as if they had been served. This symptom also needs to be paid attention to, although doctors often attribute it to other diseases. Another sign of loss of sensation is bouts of heat and cold. Such changes in temperature under stable weather conditions should cause a person to be wary.
Sometimes people complain about the loss of sensation of the earth under their feet. At the same time, in order not to stumble, they are forced to constantly look down. It is also the initial symptom of multiple sclerosis.
4. Mental and emotional disorders. The reason for going to the doctor may be a feeling of tiredness after a long rest. This is an early sign of multiple sclerosis. The disease manifests itself in those cases when it is difficult for a person to remember or retell information. Signs of pathology are also constant irritability and discontent, the absence of past ambitions and depression, as well as excessive “playing for the public”. Of course, after 40-45 years, any person will attribute all these signs to impending old age. However, young people in this case should consult a doctor.
5. A feeling of constant fatigue. Of course, it is familiar to workaholics, young mothers and students. However, with its constant manifestation, you should consult a doctor. A feeling of constant fatigue overtakes patients with multiple sclerosis in the morning. While lying in bed, they have a feeling of heaviness, as after practicing a triple shift. Sometimes such a feeling covers the patient right on the street.
6. Failure of the menstrual cycle in women. The presence of foci of pathology on nerve fibers leads to a violation of the hormonal background and a general disorder of the reproductive system.
7. Intestinal dysfunction. About the first signs of multiple sclerosis can tell a person his digestive system. If, given the small consumption of flour products for a long time, he rarely goes to the toilet and has constipation, then this should be cause for concern. Of course, such symptoms often occur with a sharp increase in body weight, when changing a diet for weight loss or during pregnancy. And here it is necessary to analyze whether you still had any signs of multiple sclerosis.
8. Shaking hands. If a person has noticed that he is having difficulty fastening buttons or inserting a thread into a needle, then this may be the first sign of multiple sclerosis. After all, one of the symptoms of pathology is precisely hand trembling.
Multiple sclerosis is an insidious disease due to the inconsistency of symptoms.
Today, a person may have an eye pain, and tomorrow he will only feel dizzy and weak. Further, everything may stop, and the patient will begin to feel quite normal.
Diagnostics
In order to determine the presence of the disease, a specialist performs a neurological examination of the patient and his oral questioning. Additional research methods are also applied.
The most informative of them today is considered to be magnetic resonance imaging of the spinal cord and brain. In addition, observing the patient, the doctor directs him to immunological monitoring, that is, to a regular blood test.
Multiple Sclerosis Treatment
To date, scientists have not yet found medicines that can save people from this ailment. Doctors for patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, prescribe drugs during the course of therapy that relieve symptoms of the disease, relieve the condition, and also prolong the period of remission and prevent the appearance of various complications.
Treatment for exacerbation
To date, two types of therapy are used to eliminate multiple sclerosis. The first of them is taking medications for exacerbations and worsening of the patient's condition. The second type of therapy is interval. It is applied to those patients who have a long-term improvement in their condition with the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. In this case, patients take the medicine for a long time.
An exacerbation is considered to be a deterioration in health lasting more than a day. In this case, the patient is prescribed adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisone in the form of injections or tablets. This allows not only to remove inflammatory phenomena, but also to prevent the occurrence of functional disorders. The greatest effect with this therapy is given by the combination of such drugs as Cortisone and Cyclophosphamide. Also, the doctor will individually select medications to eliminate the symptoms that arise in the patient.
Integrated treatment
The purpose of this therapy is to restore nerve cells in the period between exacerbations. At the same time, medications prescribed by a doctor protect the spinal cord and brain from attacks of the immune system.
During this period and when multiple sclerosis is in remission, treatment is carried out with the help of such drugs as Cyclosporin A, Azathioprine, Mitoxatron and others.
Sometimes the patient is offered surgical treatment. In order to reduce the immune attack, they can remove the spleen or thymus gland. Sometimes a bone marrow transplant is done to such patients.
Traditional Medicine Recommendations
You can support the patient at home. What, then, is the treatment of multiple sclerosis? Folk remedies recommended by healers:
1. Garlic oil. For its preparation, the crushed head of the vegetable is insisted on sunflower oil. Use with lemon juice.
2. Honey with onions. This tool strengthens the vessels of the limbs and dissolves blood clots. For its preparation, pressed onion juice is mixed with honey.
3. Alcohol tincture of garlic. This remedy fights against sclerotic masses and helps relieve spasms of blood vessels.
In addition, traditional medicine recommends that all patients with multiple sclerosis do not include sweets in their daily diet. The menu should contain foods with low cholesterol, as well as those that do not provoke an increase in pressure. At the same time, it is advisable to season the dishes with vegetable oils. Frequent drinking of green tea and natural juices is also recommended.
Life expectancy of people with multiple sclerosis
How many years is measured out for patients suffering from this neurological disease? It depends on the:
- timeliness of diagnosis;
- age at which the disease began;
- treatment effectiveness;
- the development of various complications;
- the presence of other pathologies.
How many live with multiple sclerosis? At the beginning of the 20th century, patients with this diagnosis measured a maximum of thirty years. And this is only if the course of the disease was favorable.
How many live with multiple sclerosis today? In the 21st century, in connection with the development of medicine, these people receive more complete treatment.On average, their life compared with peers is shorter by seven years. However, each rule has its own exceptions, so it is very difficult to reliably predict the development of events.