Multiple sclerosis?!
Question:
Multiple sclerosis?
Can anyone give me information on diagnosis, progression, prognosis, and especially any personal anecdotes? (not antidotes...anecdotes=stories) ;-)
Answers:
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disorder in which patches of myelin and underlying nerve fibers in the eyes, brain, and spinal cord are damaged or destroyed.
The term "multiple sclerosis" refers to the may areas of scarring (sclerosis) that result from loss or destruction of myelin.
The cause of MS is unknown, but a likely explanation is that a virus or some unknown antigen somehow triggers a reaction directed against the body's own tissues, usually early in life. Heredity seems to have a role in MS. Environment also has a role.
The symptoms of MS vary greatly, from person to person and from time to time in one person, depending on which nerve fibers are destroyed. MS may progress and regress unpredictably. Common early symptoms include tingling, numbness, pain, burning, and itching in the arms, legs, trunk, or face and loss of strength or dexterity in a leg or hand.
Because the symptoms vary widely, doctors may not recognize the disorder in its early stages. No single test is diagnostic, but laboratory tests can help doctors distinguish MS from other disorders that produce similar symptoms, such as AIDS, and lupus.