MS

Q&A

Multiple Sclerosis

Who gets MS?
Both men and women get MS, however, women out-number those diagnosed with the disease. Men appear to generally suffer the more severe symptoms when diagnosed later in life .

Dr. Joanna Cooper

Berkley, CA

Northern Latitudes
As a general rule, countries in the northern latitudes report more cases of MS than the rest of the world.

Dr. Joanna Cooper

Berkley, CA

by T.J. Murray

OC, MD

There are many answers that medical science can give you about MS, and that's a good thing

because, when you are newly diagnosed with the disease, all you have are questions.

How is it diagnosed? How does it progress? What causes it? How is it treated? Who gets it?

Is there more than one type? What is MS? Here is a brief explanation of this mean disease.

MS is an autoimmune disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord tissues. The three

main targets are:

	the insulating myelin that coats and facilitates function of the wire-like nerve fibers
	the cells that make myelin, these cells are called oligodendrocytes
	the nerve fibers themselves, which appear to become vulnerable to immune

forces after being stripped of their myelin

(NS National Multiple Sclerosis Society 2003)

Those newly diagnosed with MS have one of four types of the disease. To view the how each

type is defined, click on the red bullets:

Relapsing Remitting MS

acute attacks alternating with complete or partial remissions

Secondary-progressive MS

steady decline in neurological function with or without acute attacks

Primary-Progressive

shows progression of disability from the onset

Progressive-relapsing

shows progression of disability from the onset

A big dilemma facing patients and medical professionals is diagnosing the disease. Why?

Because, there are so many symptoms that mimic other diseases. Tingling symptoms in the

extremities, fatigue, depression, loss of vision and the like. Too often an MRI

(Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is not done until a severe manifestation rears, such as loss

of vision or motor skills, etc.

Expecting a blanket prognosis of MS is impossible. There is no way to predict exactly how each

individual body is going to react to the disease, any more than it is possible to anticipate

reaction to medications used to treat it. Frustrating? You bet, but there is help and hopefully

the links provided here will aid you in your quest for information.