Often Heard But Rarely Understood: Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis(MS) is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the central nervous system, comprised of the brain and spinal cord. With MS, the nerves of the brain and spinal cord are damaged by one's own immune system. Thus, the condition is called an autoimmune disease. In MS, the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord, the two components of the central nervous system.
MS gets its name from the buildup of scar tissue (sclerosis) in the brain and/or spinal cord. The scar tissue or plaques form when the protective and insulating myelin covering the nerves is destroyed, a process called demyelination. Without the myelin, electrical signals transmitted throughout the brain and spinal cord are disrupted or halted. The brain then becomes unable to send and to receive messages. It is this breakdown of communication that causes the symptoms of MS.
It is still not yet possible to diagnose MS by sending samples to a lab or collecting physical findings. The doctor needs to use several strategies to decide whether a patient meets the criteria for an MS diagnosis. To do this, other possible causes of the symptoms need to be ruled out. The doctor will talk to the patient, carefully look at his/her medical history, carry out a neurolgic exam, order imaging scans, visual evoked potentials, spinal fluid analysis, and perhaps some further tests.
