For the Newly Diagnosed, About MS and related Terms to know

Stuart SchlossmanMultiple Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Symptoms

Multiple Sclerosis: 
An unpredictable disease of the central nervous system, multiple sclerosis (MS) can range from relatively benign to somewhat disabling to devastating, as communication between the brain and other parts of the body is disrupted. Many investigators believe MS to be an autoimmune disease – one in which the body, through its immune system, launches a defensive attack against its own tissues.
In the case of MS, it is the nerve-insulating myelin that comes under assault. Such assaults may be linked to an unknown environmental trigger, perhaps a virus.
Most people experience their first symptoms of MS between the ages of 20 and 40; the initial symptom of MS is often blurred or double vision, red-green color distortion, or even blindness in one eye.
Most MS patients experience muscle weakness in their extremities and difficulty with coordination and balance. These symptoms may be severe enough to impair walking or even standing. NIH – National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke

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Relating to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) –

Autoimmune Disease
Disease that results when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues. Examples include multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus.
Axons
Nerve fibers that are capable of rapidly conducting impulses away from the neuron cell body.
Demyelination
Damage caused to myelin by recurrent attacks of inflammation. Demyelination ultimately results in nervous system scars, called plaques, which interrupt communications between the nerves and the rest of the body.
Exacerbation
A period of heightened disease activity.
Immune System
The body’s system for protecting itself from viruses and bacteria or any foreign substances.
Lesion
A lesion is any abnormality in the tissue of an organism (“damage”), usually caused by disease or trauma.
Myelin Sheath
A fatty covering that forms a protective sheath around nerve fibers and dramatically speeds the transmission of nerve signals.
Neurologist
A doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the nervous system.
Neurons (Nerve Cells)
A type of cell that receives and sends messages from the body to the brain and back to the body. The messages are sent by a weak electrical current. Also called nerve cell.
Plaque
In medicine, a small, abnormal patch of tissue on a body part or an organ. Plaques may also be a build-up of substances from a fluid, such as cholesterol in the blood vessels.
     

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Visit our MS Learning Channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/msviewsandnews