Development of Multiple Sclerosis - Essay Example

Multiple sclerosis is among the commonest causes of progressive disability that impact young adults in our community. Usually, the disease starts as a discrete attack, referred to as a clinically isolated syndrome, and generally affects different parts of the central nervous system. These include the spinal code and the brain though most common attacks are experienced in the optic nerve, the brain stem. The attacks are characterized by the influx of immune cells from the blood, usually developing within hours. The immune cells are believed to cause damage to the central nervous system. The argument is consistent with the hypothesis that MS should be considered to be an autoimmune disease, which causes an appropriate activation of the body immune cells of the body cells leading to the attack of the target tissue, which in this case, happens to be the cells within the CNS.

One significant fact is that the recurrence risk over the subsequent ten years tends to vary and is mainly dependent on the abnormality levels through magnetic resonance imaging conducted on the brain. The study also shows that MS is a complex condition in which several factors, such as genetics, stochastic, and the environment, play a significant role in its development.

The disorder creates communication difficulties whereby the nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord are made unable to send action signals along axons. The damage to the myelin sheaths around the axons leads to a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms such as fatigue, optic neuritis, and so on (Filippi et al., 2012). People who have suffered from the disease suffer from denial, confusion, and fear from the reactions of those around them. Multiple sclerosis takes time to diagnose. That means an individual has to go through a series of diagnostic tests, which could lead to anxiety, for the family, and the affected person. Moreover, the diagnostic results tend to be unclear, and this further escalates tension among patients.

The three significant subtypes of recognized clinical multiple sclerosis include secondary progressive MS, primary progressive MS, and the relapsing-remitting MS. Most people get the disease after experiencing a second attack, which is known as relapsing-remitting MS. About 75 percent of patients with the first subtype of the disease are more likely to eventually enter another sub-type commonly referred to as secondary progressive MS. The continued progression of neurological disability characterizes it, and it is experienced after ten to fifteen years after the disorder's onset. Primary progressive MS is also characterized by poor performance within the neurological system.

There are a lot of implications that come with the disease, multiple sclerosis. For instance, it impacts an individual's quality of life. The quality of life that one lives after discovering his sickness is determined by how he reacts to the diagnostic process. The impact of the disease may vary with its severity. Hence, an individual may have to adapt to the kind of lifestyle, he lives to, and accommodate continual appointments (Rudick et al., 2007). Also, considering that having a chronic disease takes away an individual's independence and self-control, there is an increased reliance on others when MS gets critical, which means patients may feel like a burden to their families or those around them. Social isolation and lifestyle change are other problems that chronic patients are likely to go through (Wingerchuk et al., 2001). Considering that patients' movements are limited, there is a high likelihood that they do not get a chance to access friends and family or even participate in daily activities and hobbies. Also, the caregiver's health may be compromised in treatment due to increased responsibility and exhaustion, potentially causing depression.

Several immunomodulatory treatments are majorly focused on the relapsing-remitting phase to reduce the risk and the severity of relapse (Wingerchuk et al., 2001). However, none of the available therapies have shown the ability to deal with the disease completely. That is why the available therapies should expand to make the provision of neuro-protection or regenerative capacity a reality.

In summary, despite that MS is still a mysterious disease, significant steps as far as therapeutic measures are concerned have been made. Considering that a continued search for more reliable treatment methods is underway, the emerging deeper comprehension of the pathogenesis and multiple sclerosis etiology will offer better chances for significant therapeutic advances in the next few years.