Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis was first discovered in 1868 by a neurologist by the name of Jean Martin- Charcot. Multiple sclerosis receives its name from the distinctive areas of scar tissue with the formation of damaged myelin sheaths. Multiple Sclerosis is referred to as an immune- mediated response that targets the central nervous system, including the spinal cord, the brain, and other parts of the body. The central nervous system is usually targeted by an abnormal response to the human body’s immune system causing an attack on the myelin coated fibers around nerve fibers. Generally, this occurs due to inflammation of myelin in the brain, causing lesions or plaques to form. Since myelin sheaths in the nervous system are there to increase nerve impulses,

Being such, this disease can show small signs such as tingling in the fingertips, arms, and legs, temporary vision loss or red/ green discoloration, double vision, dizziness, and clumsiness. Sometimes the disease can skip the small beginner signs and show larger symptoms that are harder to dismiss such as, onset depression, inability to multitask, incapability to regulate bladder, fatigue mentally or physically, muscle spasms, and the inability to control one’s bladder. Signs and symptoms can occur over the course of one to ten days, and then disappear; this is known as an attack or

In medical terms when symptoms disappear, this is known as remission, and when the symptoms begin again, this is considered a relapse. In most cases, individuals experience disappearing symptoms causing the disease to progress slower than others. This is known as relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Sometimes relapsing- remitting multiple sclerosis can run a course of years before being diagnosed properly. Multiple sclerosis symptoms are similar to those of a pinched nerve and transverse myelitis; which is caused by inflammation within the spinal cord. Normally multiple sclerosis’ course is different in everyone. Once the first attack has occurred, it may take days, weeks, months, or even years pass before the second attack can happen. Normally after relapsing remitting course, individuals will continue this phase and be considered in the secondary progressive course. After the age of 40 one can experience primary progressive multiple sclerosis, in which they will gradually experience a physical decline and sometimes show no remissions with temporary relief of any symptoms that are showing. Lastly, if in some rare cases of multiple sclerosis, patients who endure a swift decline in functioning, causing disability and sometime death are considered to be a Marburg variant multiple sclerosis. This