Multiple Sclerosis
What is Multiple Sclerosis?
Multiple Sclerosis (abbreviated MS) is an autoimmune disease first diagnosed in 1849, which essentially doesn’t have a cure. It is an example of a chronic autoimmune disease, during which the patient's own immune system attacks the healthy cells of the brain and the spinal cord (the two components of the CNS). MS targets neurons that are responsible for the creation of thoughts, sense perception, and the communication between the different parts of the body. It occurs due to demyelination of the fatty myelin sheath that surrounds axons in nerve cells. This leads to the loss of communication between nerve cells.
Physical Symptoms
- Changes in sensation
- Muscle weakness
- Abnormal muscle spasmps
- Difficulty with movement or balance
- Difficulty with speech
- Difficulty with vision
Approximately 2.5 million people worldwide have MS. “MS is twice as common in females as it is in males, and it is usually diagnosed between the age of 20 and 40, however there have been cases where MS has been found in children and in the elderly” [1].
Cognitive Symptoms
- Loss of memory recall
- Loss of attention
Studies have shown that up to 50 to 66% of multiple sclerosis patients will experience some form of cognitive dysfunction [2]