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Multiple Sclerosis: Risk Factors & Prognosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that affects the central nervous system. While researchers don't know the exact cause of MS, they do believe that the disease is the result of an abnormal immune system response.

MS affects a person's neurons, the cells in the brain and spinal cord that are responsible for transmitting information and creating thought. These cells are coated in a myelin sheath, which helps the cells carry electrical signals. In people with MS, this myelin sheath is gradually destroyed in a process known as demyelination.

Did You Know …
The name multiple sclerosis refers to the scleroses, or scars, that develop on neurons' myelin sheaths as a result of the disease.

Multiple Sclerosis Risk Factors & Causes

While MS can strike anyone at any age, the following are more at risk:

people between the ages of 20 and 40
people who live far away from the equator, suggesting a link between multiple sclerosis and vitamin D deficiency
people who live in northern Europe, the northern United States, southern Australia and New Zealand
people with a family history of multiple sclerosis, suggesting a genetic link to multiple sclerosis
women.

Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis

When the myelin sheaths disintegrate, people who suffer from MS may experience the following symptoms:

bladder and bowel problems
cognitive impairment
depression
fatigue
hearing loss
muscle spasms
muscle weakness
problems with coordination and balance
speech problems
visual problems.

People experience MS symptoms differently, with some MS patients experiencing symptoms for long periods of time and other MS patients rarely experiencing symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

Also, symptoms vary due to the location and extent of each MS attack. MS episodes can last days, weeks or months, and MS sufferers may go months without experiencing any symptoms. In fact, 15 percent of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis will never suffer from a second attack.

Researchers aren't sure what causes or triggers an MS attack.

Multiple Sclerosis Prognosis

The outcome for patients suffering from multiple sclerosis varies and is unpredictable. Although the disease is chronic and has no known cure, many people with MS can expect to have a normal life expectancy. In addition, most people with multiple sclerosis can function in their daily lives, work and walk for at least 20 years after the disease's onset.

People with MS who have the best prognosis are:

those who developed the disease before the age of 30
those who show a low burden of the disease on imaging studies
those who suffer from infrequent multiple sclerosis attacks
those whose MS follows a pattern of relapsing and remitting
women.

A person can improve the disease's prognosis by participating in:

occupational therapy
physical therapy
speech therapy.

In addition, in order to have the best prognosis possible, it is important for MS sufferers to make themselves aware of common MS complications, including pneumonia and urinary tract infections. Successfully treating these complications can greatly impact the outcome of multiple sclerosis.

Resources

Sheth, Kevin (2005). Multiple sclerosis. Retrieved on June 20, 2007, from the MedLinePlus Web site: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000737.htm
#Causes,%20incidence,%20and%20risk%20factors.

Wikipedia (2007). Multiple sclerosis. Retrieved June 20, 2007, from the Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_sclerosis#Prognosis.

Women's Health Channel (2007). Multiple Sclerosis. Retrieved June 20, 2007, from the Women's Health Channel Web site: http://www.womenshealthchannel.com/multiplesclerosis/
causes.shtml.