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Multiple Sclerosis Research Paper

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Multiple sclerosis is a neuroinflammatory disease that affects myelin, a substance that makes up the myelin sheath, and wraps around nerve fibers or axons. Myelin is necessary for proper functioning of the nervous system. Myelinated axons are commonly called white matter. MS also damages nerve cell bodies which are found in gray matter, as well as the axons themselves in the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve. (4) As the disease makes progress the brain’s cortex shrinks. Multiple sclerosis refers to areas of scar tissue or plaques visible in the white matter of people who have the disease. The plaques can range from small to large. Plaques are the result of an inflammatory process that causes the immune system cells to attack the myelin. MS …show more content…

Damage to myelin and nerve fibers is caused by overactive T-cells, which are a type of white blood cell called lymphocytes. (4) The course of MS is unpredictable and tends to affect young adults more often such as people between 20 and 40. Women also tend to be affected twice as much as men. However, it can develop in children and older people. Multiple sclerosis is often not diagnosed right away because it shares symptoms with other neurological conditions and disease but symptoms of MS normally include vision problems, weak muscles, numbness, tingling, clumsiness, bladder control problems and dizziness. (3) Later symptoms tend to include fatigue, mood changes, loss of the ability to concentrate, and difficulty making decisions. This is a disease that tends to be caused by genetic vulnerabilities as well as environmental factors. The course for MS is unpredictable because it varies in each person. …show more content…

From the how and why to the treatment, there are so many variables present, it is very difficult to diagnose as well as treat. The disease is often misdiagnosed because it mimics other symptoms. At times it is in the later stages when finally diagnosed. This disease also has many forms, so treatments are sometimes experimental until the form is identified. There are also many triggers once a patient has been diagnosed with MS and these are hard to treat. Because of the many variations of this disease, the many symptoms, triggers, and responses to medications, and the varied studies on patients with varied symptoms, MS remains a very mysterious disorder of the neuro-immune

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