While there are no exact figures, it is estimated that around 200 people are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) each week. MS is still considered a very mysterious condition because so little is known about why it happens, how it happens or how to cure it. Even diagnosing MS is difficult because of how little is known about the condition. There are, however, some things that are known as well as some educated speculations about MS.
The Healthy Immune System
To understand MS, you must first understand a little about how the healthy immune system works. The immune system is a complex network of specialized cells and organs. Its job is to protect the body from foreign invaders – bacteria, fungus, parasites and viruses. To do this, it produces its own set of molecules that can effectively destroy the invaders, called antigens. Each molecule produced by the body is matched to the antigen that it is fighting.
A healthy immune system can recognize the difference between foreign invader antigens and cells of the body. In MS, however, the body is unable to recognize the body’s own parts, specifically myelin (a fatty covering that insulates nerve cell fibers in the spinal cord and brain).
Why is Myelin Important?
The brain sends messages to the body via nerve endings. Every function – from breathing to heart rhythm to movement are controlled by the brain. Myelin helps facilitate the smooth, high-speed transmission of those messages. When destroyed, messages from the brain to the body are slowed and even sometimes blocked. This leads to poor or lost function of the body.
What Exactly is MS?
A Multiple Sclerosis attack starts with inflammation in the brain, specifically white matter areas. After the inflammation in the brain, myelin is destroyed. Numerous myelin sheathes are destroyed in any given episodes and the myelin that are destroyed by become hardened and cannot, to date, be repaired. Over time, loss of function occurs within the body. In mild cases, debilitation can be mild. In more severe cases, however, the sufferer may lose the ability to walk, speak or write.
Who Suffers From MS?
The onset of Multiple Sclerosis most often occurs between the ages of 20 and 50. While there are cases in which MS is diagnosed in patients either younger or older, the occurrence is very rare. The condition is five times more common in the United States than in more tropical regions of the world. This fact has led to studies that suggest that moving a person before their 15th birthday to a more tropical zone may reduce the risk of getting MS. Moving after the 15th birthday, however, does not seem to change the overall risk of the individual.
Potential Risk Factors
As mentioned, climate may be a risk factor in MS, although it is unclear as to why this may happen. Additionally, environmental factors are suspected, due to large clusters of MS that surface from time to time. No evidence, however, has been found to support the theory of environmental factors of MS.
Another thought is that MS occurs after a viral infection. No virus, however, has been found or linked to an MS diagnosis.
Researchers have found possible links between ethnicity and MS. Certain populations in the world have no current diagnosis of MS – Eskimos, Bantus and Gypsies. Others have very low rates of MS – Native Americans, Asians and Japanese. Yet, it is unclear at this present time if this is actually because of ethnicity or environment or location.
Genetics have also been linked to MS. In identical twins, if one is diagnosed with MS, there is a higher risk of about 30% for the other twin. Studies have also been conducted on families with multiple MS diagnosis. And while the connection seems pretty clear, thanks to the study on the human leukocyte antigen region on chromosome 6, as well as several others.
Overall, researchers believe that there are a number of contributing factors to MS, though it is unclear the exact factors or the extent of the role that each factor plays. Better understanding of what causes MS may lead to a better method of diagnosis and treatment.
MS Diagnosis
MS diagnosis is very difficult to obtain. This is partially due to the lagged onset of symptoms, but another factor – testing that is not foolproof also plays a part. Some MS sufferers live out most of, if not all of their lives, before the condition is detected. While their symptoms are generally mild and they tend to wax and wane, the fact remains that this leaves them without diagnosis or understanding of their pain.
MS Cure
To date, there is no cure for MS. There are, however, treatments that can help delay the progression of the disease and help sufferers cope with the pain associated with MS. Researchers are working every day at finding a cure to the condition and they continue to come up with new possible solutions.