A Comparison of Two Nervous System Disorders

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Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis and Guillain-Barré syndrome are two well known disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, these diseases attack the myelin, which is a fatty sheath that wraps around the axon of the nerve in order to increase their conduction velocity. In order to create a mental image of what the myelin looks like, take a look at any sort of power cord. The cord itself can represent a nerve found within the human body. The rubber that surrounds the wires helps to insulate the wiring and help to make sure the electricity follows a steady path and doesn’t jump to other areas. This is similar to the myelin that surrounds our nerve fibers, it helps to keep the signal intact while it is travelling to its target source, as well as speeding up how fast the signal travels. This paper will discuss the background of each disease, their signs and symptoms, and finally the treatments and/or management of each disease. Background of Multiple Sclerosis: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can be defined as a degenerative disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord: two key components of the central nervous system. Unfortunately, this disease affects a large number of individuals. According to a study completed by Rumrill, every 1 in 750 individuals will end up having multiple sclerosis at any given point in time.1 This high number can be attributed to the fact that nearly anyone can be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It can be diagnosed regardless of age and gender, but a unique finding is that it is rarely seen in certain backgrounds. African Americans, Hispanic, and Asian individuals are rarely diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. On the other hand, those individuals with descents that trace back to German, Scandinavian, or Angl... ... middle of paper ... ...ocational Rehabilitation [serial online]. October 2009;31(2):75-82. Available from: CINAHL with Full Text, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 29, 2014. 2. D'Arcy C. Multiple sclerosis: symptom management. Nursing & Residential Care [serial online]. August 2012;14(8):405-409. Available from: CINAHL with Full Text, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 30, 2014. 3. Taylor N. Progressive resistance exercise for people with multiple sclerosis. Disability & Rehabilitation [serial online]. September 30, 2006;28(18):1119-1126. Available from: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 30, 2014. 4. Finlayson M, Plow M, Cho C. Use of physical therapy services among middle-aged and older adults with multiple sclerosis. Physical Therapy [serial online]. November 2010;90(11):1607-1618. Available from: CINAHL with Full Text, Ipswich, MA. Accessed May 2, 2014.

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