Multiple sclerosis
- 1. THIS POWERPOINT WILL ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS: • WHAT IS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS? • THE SYMPTOMS • WHAT MIGHT CAUSE IT? • SPECIFIC STRUCTURES AND FUNCTIONS • CURRENT TREATMENTS • HISTORY • WHO GETS EFFECTED? • LIFE EXPECTANCY Multiple sclerosis
- 2. What is Multiple Sclerosis? Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.
- 3. Symptoms Fatigue Walking difficulties Numbness Weakness Spasticity Vision problems Pain Depression Emotional changes These Symptoms are the most common and around 80% of people who are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis have shown these symptoms
- 4. What might cause it? The cause of MS is still unknown – most scientists believe the disease is triggered by an unidentified environmental factor in a person who is genetically unprepared to respond.
- 5. STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS MS is caused by damage to the myelin sheath. This sheath is the protective covering that surrounds nerve cells. When this nerve covering is damaged, nerve signals slow down or stop. The nerve damage is caused by inflammation. Inflammation occurs when the body's own immune cells attack the nervous system. This can occur along any area of the brain, optic nerve, and spinal cord.
- 6. Who gets affected? MS occurs in most ethnic groups, including African- Americans, Asians and Hispanics/Latinos, but is more common in Caucasians of northern European ancestry. MS most commonly effects people from 20 to 50 years of age The average person in the United States has about one in 750 (.1%) chance of developing MS
- 7. Current Treatments Currently, people with MS use a lot of medication depending on what kind of symptoms they have. Today multiple sclerosis (MS) is not a curable disease. Effective strategies can help modify or slow the disease, treat attacks, manage symptoms, improve function and safety, and address emotional health.
- 8. History The history of multiple sclerosis (MS) is a detective story spanning more than a century. Scientifically, MS was among the first diseases to be described. Further knowledge of MS could not advance without better understanding of biology and better research tools In 1968, Scientist Jean Martin Charcot discovered this disease when doing on an autopsy.
- 9. Life Expectancy The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that the majority of MS patients will experience a normal (or almost normal) life span People with MS tend to die from many of the same conditions that people without MS die from, including cancer and heart disease. Severe MS (Extremely rare) will cause discomfort, vertigo, overwhelming, and inconvenience. This leads to more suicide rates.