Symptoms and Treatments

 

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Illustration of what happens to the neuron in an MS patient...

Before:

Illustration of a healthy neuron

After:

Illustration of a demyelinated neuron

Symptoms

Symptoms are unpredictable varying from time-to-time and person-to-person. Symptoms are caused by the loss of myelin.

  • Muscle weakness
  • Spasticity
  • Impairment of pain, temperature, touch senses
  • Pain (moderate to severe)
  • Ataxia
  • Tremor
  • Speech disturbance
  • Vision disturbances
  • Vertigo
  • Bladder dysfunction
  • Bowel dysfunction
  • Sexual dysfunction
  • Depression
  • Euphoria
  • Cognitive abnormalities
  • Fatigue

 

Four General Types of MS:

Relapsing-Remitting:
Characteristics:
--defined flare-ups (relapses, attacks, or exacerbations)
--partial or complete recovery periods free of diease progression
Frequency:
--most common form of MS; approximately 85%

Primary-Progressive:
Characteristics:
--slow but continuous worsening of disease from onset
--no distinct relapses or remissions
--variations in rates of progression, occasional plateaus and temporary minor improvements
Frenquency:
--relatively rare; approximately 10%

Secondary Progressive:
Characteristics:
--initial period of relapsing-remitting disease followed by steadily worsening of disease
--with or without occasional flare-ups, remissions, or plateaus
Frequency:
--50% of people with relapsing-remitting MS develop this form within 10 years

Progressive-Relapsing
Characteristics:
--steadily worsening of disease
--acute relapses (attacks or exacerbations) with or without recovery
--periods between relapses characterized by continuing disease progression
Frequency:
--relatively rare; approximately 5%

 

Treatments

Treatments reduce the severity of the symptoms; however, they have no affect on the progression of MS

  • Corticosteroids: reduce inflammation of CNS during relapse and increase recovery speed from relapse;however, there are many side effects.
  • Immunosuppressants: ex: Mitoxantrone are used to suppress the actions of the immune system in patients with rapidly worsening MS.
  • Interferon Beta: controls activity in the immune system and inhibits certain intracellular messages (i.e. cytockines). Cytokines, including interferon gamma, are considered to be involved in the inflammation process resulting in MS.
  • Avonex
  • Interferon Beta-1b
  • Glatiramer Acetate (Copaxone)
Drugs Used to Treat Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis:

Symptom

Drug

Spasticity

Baclofen (Lioresal)

Tizanidine (Zanaflex)

Diazepam (Valium)

Clonazepam (Klonopin)

Dantrolene (Dantrium)

Optic neuritis

Methylprednisolone (Solu-Medrol)

Oral steroids

Fatigue

Antidepressants

Amantadine (Symmetrel)

Pemoline (Cylert)

Pain

Aspirin or acetaminophen

Antidepressants

Codeine

Trigeminal neuralgia

Carbamazapine, other anticonvulsant

Sexual dysfunction

Papaverine injections(in men)

from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/multiple_sclerosis/detail_multiple_sclerosis.htm#34173215

 

The best treatment for MS would be directed towards preventing irreversible damage to myelin and nerve fibers.

 

 

Statistics

  • twice as women as men have MS
  • it occurs more commonly among people of Northern European descent
  • approximately 400,000 Americans have MS
  • every week, 200 people are diagnosed with MS
  • MS affects more than 2.5 million individuals
  • most people are diagnosed with MS between the ages of 20 and 50; although, individuals as young as 2 and as old as 75 have developed the disease