A Comparison of Guillain Barre Syndrome and Multiple Sclerosis Related to Central and Peripheral Nervous Pathologies

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Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease affecting the myelination of the central nervous system, leading to numerous issues regarding muscle strength, coordination, balance, sensation, vision, and even some cognitive defects. Unfortunately, the etiology of MS is not known, however, it is generally thought of and accepted as being an autoimmune disorder inside of the central nervous system (Rietberg, et al. 2004). According to a study (Noonan, et al. 2010) on the prevalence of MS, the disease affects more than 1 million people across the world, and approximately 85% of those that are affected will suffer from unpredictably occurring sessions of exacerbations and remissions. The report (Noonan, et al. 2010) found that the prevalence of MS was much higher in women than in men, and that it was also higher in non-Hispanic whites than in other racial or ethnic groups throughout the 3 regions of the United States that were studied. Signs and Symptoms MS causes a degeneration of the myelin around axons due to the killing off of oligodendrocytes, which are cells that make up the myelin sheath of an axon; losing myelin decreases the neuron’s ability to propagate an action potential. Since this disease affects the central nervous system, MS can cause dysfunction of both the sensory and the motor aspects of the body. Some common sensory complaints(Lundy-Ekman, 2007) of MS are tingling, numbness, and/or paresthesia in the affected area, which is variable but typically involves one or more limbs (Palace, 2001), as well as partial blindness in one eye, a decrease in vision acuity, and double vision. Lhermitte’s sign, which is a radiating shock that travels down the back or limbs, is another common characteristic of MS that aff... ... middle of paper ... ...e for Managing the Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis. Phys Ther. 2013;93(6):723-728. Rietberg MB, Brooks D, Uitdehaag BMJ, Kwakkel G. Exercise therapy for multiple sclerosis (Review). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004;3. Paltamaa J, Sjögren T, Peurala S, Heinonen A. Effects of physiotherapy interventions on balance in multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Rehabil Med. 2012;44(10):811-823. Noonan CW, Williamson DM, Henry JP, Indian R, Lynch SG, Neuberger JS, Schiffer R, Trottier J, Wagner L, Marrie RA. The prevalence of multiple sclerosis in 3 US communities. Prev Chronic Dis. 2010;7(1):A12. Palace J. Making the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2001;7(2)(suppl):ii3-8. Lundy-Ekman, L. Neuroscience: Fundamentals for Rehabilitation. 3rd ed. St. Louis, Missouri: Saunders Elsevier; 2007

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