Multiple Sclerosis Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Multiple Sclerosis (1) One third of a million Americans suffer from MS and a great percentage of those people are women. Women account for 73% of MS sufferers. (2) MS usually strikes young adults between the ages of 20 and 40 years old. (8) There are even some cases of MS being diagnosed in childhood. Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the central nervous system, attacking the brain and the spinal cord. MS attacks myelin, the fatty material that acts as a protective coating to the body's nerves. (1) The inflammation of the nerve tissues covering the nerves can affect any part of the nervous system and varies from person to person. (7) Normal nerve function decreases with the onset of MS because MS causes scars to form on the covering of the nerve. Multiple Sclerosis acquires this term because it literally means scars. (1,7) The covering of the nerve with myelin is very important so that the nerve can transmit signals rapidly and efficiently. Demylelination enables the nerve to carry impulses properly by either blocking or slowing transmission and this is why the various symptoms of MS occur. (1) Symptoms associated with Multiple sclerosis consist in a wide range. MS could cause a numbness of the limbs, loss of vision, or even paralysis. (2) There is no specific set of symptoms that a patient may experience because MS may have affected different parts of the nervous system. Some patients may experience a loss of balance, unstable walking, clumsiness, blurred vision, spasticity (a spring-like resistance to moving or being moved), abnormal speech, memory loss, impotence, and bladder problems are to name a few. (1) In any one patient the symptoms may vary with each attack. (7) The symptoms can last up to days or... ...ave MS are suffering from a disease from which there is no cure and can only have their symptoms alleviated for a while. Earlier mandatory testing should be at the forefront for the young adults that MS targets. > WWW Sources 1)What is MS?, http://www.msif.org/language_choice.html 2)What is Multiple Sclerosis, http://www.nationalmssociety.org/ILD/home/ 3)Multiple Sclerosis: Overview, http://medstat.med.utah.edu/ 4)References on Multiple Sclerosis and Marijuana , http://www.druglibrary.org/ 5)Multiple Sclerosis, Mulitiple Sclerosis Symptom, Multiple Sclerosis Treatment, http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro01/web3/www.pychealth.com 6)My Life and Fight Against Multiple Sclerosis, http://www.angelfire.lycos.com/ 7)Multiple Sclerosis, http://health.yahoo.com/ 8)Multiple Sclerosis, http://www.msif.org/language_choice.html