What Does Someone With Ms Look Like – Multiple sclerosis is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. The underlying cause is unknown, but the immune system is responsible for the nerve damage that occurs.
A coating of a substance called myelin protects nerve fibers. In multiple sclerosis (MS), demyelination occurs. It is the process by which the immune system destroys the myelin coating of nerve fibers.
What Does Someone With Ms Look Like
Myelin insulates and surrounds the core of a nerve fiber or axon. When damage occurs in an axon, it interferes with how signals travel along the nerve. MS causes the nerves themselves to degenerate. It can affect movement, speech and thought processes.
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About one million people in the United States are currently living with MS, according to the National MS Society. The National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke estimates
There is MS in the U.S., he notes, but it’s hard to know exactly how many there are.
In this article, we look at the impact of living with MS and how to manage the condition.
This can make it difficult for a person – and those around them – to know what’s going to happen.
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The condition’s ongoing fatigue and pain can drain energy, sexual dysfunction can affect relationships, and movement and coordination problems can impair daily functioning.
MS can affect people in different ways. Some people experience symptoms that progress gradually, while others’ symptoms develop in stages. In people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), symptoms may subside for a long time before returning in a more severe state. If a person has primary or secondary progressive MS, symptoms gradually become more severe.
As a person without MS according to NINDS. Some people have symptoms that prevent them from walking, talking, and writing, but most people are able to do these things. However, over time, some may need an assistive device such as a walking stick.
People with rapidly progressive MS tend to develop severe symptoms in a relatively short time.
Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
Most people with MS can enjoy a good quality of life, especially if they have appropriate support. However, a person may need to make lifestyle adjustments to maintain their quality of life.
For people with RRMS, doctors can prescribe medications early on that can reduce the number of flare-ups and slow the progression of the disease.
Medicines such as steroids can help reduce inflammation and the effects of acute attacks. Other medications may help with complications such as changes in bladder control, fatigue, and itching.
Constant fatigue is common in people with MS. This fatigue can affect all aspects of life, including effective brain use and ability to participate in activities.
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Symptoms of MS can cause persistent discomfort and disability that limits a person’s ability to perform daily activities.
People with MS may need to attend regular medical appointments. They live with the uncertainty of when the next attack of symptoms might occur.
Together, these reduce a person’s quality of life. The constant frustration of such restrictions leads some people with MS to develop depression.
These programs help people with MS improve the performance of daily activities despite the limitations imposed by the condition. A range of patient groups are also available to offer support to people living with MS.
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Recent research suggests that a protein-rich diet may improve the outlook for MS by reducing inflammation. MS itself is not fatal, but the death rate in people with MS is higher than in the general population.
Increased deaths are due to complications of MS, such as infection, diseases affecting the lungs or heart, or depression leading to suicide.
Additionally, people with MS often receive physical therapy in the form of exercise and massage to improve muscle function and relieve pain. An occupational therapist can help a person with MS use work and social life to manage the condition.
People with MS may need speech therapy to return some parts of speech to normal function, as well as medical help with swallowing.
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Because MS affects different parts of the body, different specialist doctors usually offer treatment. This team of specialists may include neurologists, urologists and psychologists.
Myelin and nerve damage can occur in different areas of the brain and spinal cord. For this reason, MS can affect any part of the body.
Fortunately, most people with MS do not experience all of these symptoms. The actual symptoms that develop depend on the extent and location of the nerve damage. As the extent of damage increases, the symptoms worsen.
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Symptoms usually first develop between the ages of 15 and 45. Doctors usually diagnose MS when a person with the disease is in their late twenties or early thirties.
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The most common type of MS is relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, about 85 percent of people with MS have this form of the disease.
RRMS involves periods of mild or no symptoms, or remission, and relapses, during which symptoms worsen.
Over time, as the damage progresses, a person may experience shorter periods of remission and more severe symptoms. When this happens, RRMS progresses to secondary progressive MS (SPMS).
The next most common type of MS is primary progressive MS (PPMS). This form of MS occurs in about 15 percent of people.
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PPMS is often very debilitating. Rather than occurring as sudden attacks with periods of remission, symptoms tend to worsen over time.
In secondary progressive MS (SPMS), a person experiences flares, after which symptoms get better. However, after this, the condition gradually worsens.
Most people with MS can expect to live as long as those without MS, but the condition can affect their daily life. For some people, the changes are small. For others, they can mean loss of mobility and other functions.
Learning as much as possible about MS, what it involves, and ways to manage it can help a person feel more in control of their condition and better able to cope with the changes that may occur.
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A person receiving a new diagnosis may not want to tell everyone about it at once, but it’s a good idea to let family and friends know when they feel comfortable doing so. It helps people understand the changes that may occur.
Notifying the employer will help adjust the work environment and take into account any fatigue and discomfort that may occur.
Maintaining a low level of physical activity and a low-fat, high-fiber diet can support disease management. Acknowledging and addressing the emotional aspects of living with MS can help people with the condition and carers cope, as well as close family and friends who can help provide a support network.
Charities including the National MS Society offer a wide range of tools, facilities and advice to support people with the condition.
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Answers represent the opinions of our medical experts. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.
Medical news today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using third party references. We link to primary sources – including studies, scientific references and statistics – in each article and list them in the Resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and relevant by reading our editorial policy. In MS, the body’s immune system attacks the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Experts don’t know what causes MS, but they have identified a predisposition to getting it.
In multiple sclerosis, the immune system attacks the nerve sheaths (myelin) in the brain and spinal cord. This disrupts the body’s ability to send signals to the rest of the body.
Autoimmune disease: Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease. This means the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues. In MS, immune system cells attack myelin, the membrane that covers nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).
Multiple Sclerosis Signs And Symptoms
Myelin and Sclerosis: Myelin is a sheath of fatty tissue that protects and insulates nerve fibers like insulation around a wire. Myelin helps electrical signals travel along nerve fibers. Damage to myelin and nerve fibers is called demyelination. Scar tissue is called sclerosis.
Disrupted signals: Damage can slow or block the electrical signals that carry information between the central nervous system and the rest of the body. It can cause problems with vision, movement, muscle strength, coordination and thinking.
Outcomes vary: Symptoms and how quickly the disease progresses varies from patient to patient. Some people have few or mild symptoms. Some months or years are spent with few or no symptoms. For others, the MS is disabled. MS cannot yet be cured, but treatments can slow the disease and manage symptoms. Most patients can expect a normal life expectancy.
How common is MS? A 2017 study looked at more than 900,000 U.S. adults with MS. adults combined, twice as many as previous estimates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a system to collect data on neurological conditions starting with MS.
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