Multiple Sclerosis Essay

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What is Multiple Sclerosis? Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease of the central nervous system. It is understood as an autoimmune disease, a condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks normal tissues. In Multiple Sclerosis, the patient’s own cells & antibodies attack the fatty myelin sheath that protects and insulates nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord, the two components of the CNS. This ultimately causes damage to the nerve cells and without the insulation the myelin sheath provides, nerve communication is disrupted. Hence, Multiple Sclerosis is characterized by symptoms that reflect central nervous system involvement (Luzzio, 2014). Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis Patients are presented with Multiple Sclerosis in various different forms and experience symptoms to different degrees – mild, moderate or severe. While some patients’ predominately experience emotional or cognitive dysfunction, others may be presented with loss of muscle control, and/or visual, balance and sensation symptoms. Other symptoms include fatigue, bladder and bowel problems. What causes Multiple Sclerosis? The cause of Multiple Sclerosis in unknown. Some scientists believe that genetic factors as well as a person’s environment, play a key role in determining which people are more susceptible to developing the disease. Neuropathological changes and the associated functional correlates in the different subtypes of Multiple Sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis has been categorized into four different subtypes according to the distinct neuropathological changes accompanying the disease (Antony, DesLauriers, Bhat, Ellestad & Power, 2011). Relapsing-Remitting form of Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) Most patients suffering from Multi... ... middle of paper ... ... resulting impairment to the CNS. The first group of mice exhibited a pattern of CNS inflammation that resembled that of the most common subtype of MS, RRMS, with lesions filled with macrophages, a type of immune defender cell. The second group of mice displayed inflammation deep in the CNS tissues and in the optic nerve with lesions filled with neutrophils, another type of immune cell. Both groups of mice were given antibody drugs similar to drugs being developed against MS in humans. The effects were observed over time and results showed that some of the drugs inhibited disease in the first group of mice but did not inhibit disease in the second group. Thus, as Mark Kroenke (2008), the study’s first author and a Ph.D. student in immunology at U-M stated, "That's our proof that these really are different mechanisms of disease" (Kroenke et al., 2008).

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