http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_sclerosis
Synonyms: disseminated sclerosis; encephalomyelitis disseminata; Multiple sclerosis
Body's immune system attacks myelin sheaths in brain and spinal cord. These sheaths surround axons and without which signals aren't transmitted properly. There's a range of symptoms.
?definite test?
Other bits (more detail and illustrating graphs on Wiki page)
4 sub-types
- relapsing remitting
- secondary progressive
- primary progressive
- progressive relapsing
Blood brain barrier stops T-cells from entering the nervous system except when there's an infection.
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MS destroys oligodendrocytes, the cells responsible for creating and maintaining a fatty layer—known as the myelin sheath—which helps the neurons carry electrical signals.
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A repair process, called remyelination, takes place in early phases of the disease, but the oligodendrocytes cannot completely rebuild the cell's myelin sheath.[24] Repeated attacks lead to successively fewer effective remyelinations, until a scar-like plaque is built up around the damaged axons
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The T cells recognize myelin as foreign and attack it as if it were an invading virus. This triggers inflammatory processes, stimulating other immune cells and soluble factors like cytokines and antibodies. Leaks form in the blood–brain barrier, which in turn cause a number of other damaging effects such as swelling, activation of macrophages, and more activation of cytokines and other destructive proteins.
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- so this is why steroids are used?
Primary progressive MS is the least treatable. There are treatments for the other types but they are strong chemicals with adverse effects. As for 2009 there are 5 options though these may be as bad as the disease.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_sclerosis#Disease-modifying_treatments
There are alternative treatments though less supported by evidence.
Myelin repair is one hope and this is a US not-fot-profit research org. Their website claims this is the way forward to treat MS.
http://www.myelinrepair.org/ - Myelin Repair Foundation
Other directions in medications are on the way
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_sclerosis#Therapies
As is the possiblitiy of surgery however proper trials haven't been done of this experimental technique
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_sclerosis#Chronic_cerebrospinal_venous_insufficiency
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