Care of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

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Recommended: Multiple sclerosis and how it affects people

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an acquired demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that typically is diagnosed in the second or third decade of life. Normally, nerves are enclosed in myelin sheaths that help facilitate transmission of nerve impulses within the CNS and the peripheral nervous system throughout the body. In patients with MS, the myelin sheath is damaged and eventually degenerates, causing patches of scar tissue called plaques or lesions to occur anywhere randomly on the myelin sheath (Ruto, 2013). This results in impaired nerve conductivity, which interferes with message transmission between the brain and the other parts of the body. As a result, impulse transmission is altered, distorted, short-circuited, or completely absent. This interference in impulse transmission creates muscle weakness, muscle imbalance, and possibly muscle spasms with partial or complete paralysis. Multiple sclerosis also can result in visual impairment and alteration of cognitive abilities, as well as pain, numbness, or tingling sensations (Ruto, 2013).
MS affects about 400,000 persons in the USA and approximately 2.1million worldwide. The average age of onset is between 20–40 years, although it can also occur in young children and in people aged 50 years and more. It is estimated that the direct and indirect healthcare costs of MS in the United States result in approximately $35,000 spent per year per patient. Multiple sclerosis affects women more than men (DeLuca & Nocentini, 2011).
Case study patient
J.S. is a 25 year old Caucasian female, admitted to the hospital after she experienced a seizure. J.S. has no hx of seizures in the past. Upon evaluation, J.S. complaint that for the past year she has experienced: blur...

... middle of paper ...

... Physical rehabilitation, and pain management.

Conclusion
Multiple sclerosis is a serious disabling disease. Usually, the disease is mild, but some people lose the ability to write, speak, or walk. There is no single test for MS. Doctors use a medical history, physical exam, neurological exam, MRI, and other tests to diagnose it. There is no cure for MS, but there are drugs that slow the progression of the disease. As of now, there are eight drugs that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A tremendous amount of progress has been made. Most of these drugs target only the early stage of the disease, not the progressive stages that are worse. Treatment often depends on which type of MS an individual has.

References:
Ruto, C. (2013). Special Needs Populations: Care of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis. AORN Journal, 98(3), 281-293.

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