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Multiple sclerosis is the most common disabling disease affecting people between ages 18 and 45.
About 350,000 people in the United States have MS.
Researchers say it's predominantly a disease of the white matter
tissue. White matter is made up of nerve fibers that are responsible for transmitting communication signals within the Central Nervous System and between the CNS and the nerves supplying the rest of the body.
People with MS have patches of damage called lesions. Cells in the body's immune system, which normally defend the body against infections, leave the blood vessels serving the CNS, pour into the brain and spinal cord, and destroy a nerve-insulating material called myelin.
People with MS can have partial or complete loss of functions that are controlled by the brain or spinal cord. Symptoms include numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, cramps, blindness, incontinence, slurred speech, loss of balance, fatigue, depression, memory problems, loss of sexual function, blurred or double vision, and difficulty swallowing.
MS is usually a slowly progressing disease, and few people experience all symptoms. Three quarters of patients with MS don't need a wheelchair. Many will need a cane after suffering from the disease for many years. Most people with MS can live an active life. The cause of the disease is unknown, but doctors believe it's a combination of genetic, immunological and environmental factors.
Multiple sclerosis is difficult to diagnose, because it's very unpredictable. No two patients are affected by MS in the same way. Depending on which areas of the nervous system are affected and how badly they are damaged, symptoms can vary from patient to patient. The damage occurs in the brain and spinal cord -- two of the most inaccessible parts of the body.
There is no specific diagnostic test for MS. Many of its symptoms mimic those of other diseases. Traditionally, it has not been possible to diagnose MS after just one attack. MS patients were diagnosed only after undergoing a complex clinical observation and after having at least two episodes of symptoms, separated by at least one month. The location of the lesions had to be in at least two sites of the CNS. Patients were forced to wait at least the period of time between the two relapses that cause symptoms. This could be as little as one month but often took several months, or even years.
New research shows advanced MRI technology is helping to speed up the diagnostic process. MRI scans can detect white matter lesions, or scarring, caused by MS in different regions of the brain.
They can also differentiate between old lesions and those that are new or active. When other symptoms are present, a patient can be diagnosed after the first attack. Researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas say in the majority of patients with a first MS-like attack, the presence of MRI lesions strongly predicts future conversion to MS.
They say the lesions can be seen in 50 percent to 80 percent of patients at the time of their first symptoms. The MRI can also help rule out MS. Researchers say normal results on an MRI at the time a patient has an MS-like attack makes the future development of the disease much less likely.
MRI scanners are non-invasive and allow doctors to repeatedly scan the same person over time and track the disease. Doctors learned MS is often very active even when patients feel no symptoms. It is not a disease that flares up only with attacks. MS constantly causes silent damage. Early aggressive treatment may help stop the development of severe disability.
However, MRIs give researchers faster and more accurate ways for testing drugs to treat MS. Because the disease is slow and often silent, the benefits of a new treatment can be seen on MRI scans, often before patients recognize them. Strategies for treating patients have gone from just helping people with MS feel good for as long as possible to attempts to control or cure the disease. Better medications, exercise, and physical therapy are relieving symptoms and improving quality of life for patients with MS.
Original article appears here
