MS explained

An interesting fact about multiple sclerosis is that it is found more per capita in Canada. Why is this? No one knows for sure. Another interesting fact is that if you are a woman between the ages of 20 and 50, you are more likely to contract the disease. It is also more common in people of European descent.

No one really knows why this happens. In fact, they don’t even know what causes MS in the first place. It could be destruction of the immune system, it could be a failure of myelin-producing cells, it could be environmental, and it could be genetic. Of course, it could also be a combination of things and the cause is very likely to differ from person to person.

What they do know is that MS is a demyelinating disease, which means that the insulating coatings of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. What this means is that parts of the central nervous system cannot communicate as they should, which leads to all sorts of problems. People with it can have double vision, blindness in one eye, muscle weakness, coordination problems, sensitivity problems, and many other things as well. There is also fatigue, cognitive impairment, pain, incontinence, anxiety, depression, ataxia, and spasms that can be present in the disease and these can differ from patient to patient in severity and duration.

While there is still no cure for multiple sclerosis, researchers are working every day to unravel its mysteries. It is the most common immune-mediated disorder affecting the central nervous system, and some doctors believe that physical therapy can help lessen the effects of some of the symptoms. Of course, there are medications and regimens that people can follow to lessen symptoms when there is also an outbreak.

Although little is known about multiple sclerosis, we do know that the life expectancy of a person diagnosed with it is only 5 to 10 years shorter than average, which is good news all in all.

If you have been diagnosed with MS, you are not alone and you can be sure that there are teams of people around the world who are trying to find a cure. Until then, it is imperative to find a doctor you can work with and a therapy that works for you to combat this disease.