Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a condition that affects the nervous system. It is a disease whereby the protective layer around the nerve cells, called myelin, are damaged. Nerve cells are really long strands of cells that connect the nervous system throughout the body.

Specialist, Dr Peter Saul, describes myelin as like the plastic coating on electrical cables. If the myelin is damaged, known as demyleination, the nerve cells are short circuited and do not work properly. This causes a variety of symptoms to the MS sufferer as it depends on where the damage occurs.

What are the possible symptoms of multiple sclerosis?

Symptoms vary depending on the area of nerve damage. Many patients present with eye symptoms such as patches of blindness known as optic neuritis, because the damage to the nerves cells occurs in the eye. This is known as inflammation of the optic nerve.

Another common symptom is sensory loss whereby a sufferer may have numbness in their arm or foot, or they may present with other types of damage to the nervous system.

MS is characterised by damage occurring at different times to different parts of the nervous system. It is common for MS sufferers to present with particular symptoms and then get better. The same symptoms may return or a different set of symptoms may arise depending on where the nerve cell damage occurs.

Different types of multiple sclerosis

The most common form of MS is known as relapsing remitting, which means a sufferer will have periods with symptoms and periods without. This form of MS continues for a long period of time and may get progressively worse with each relapse. This form of multiple sclerosis means that the patient may only be incapacitated by symptoms from time to time with relapses varying in length and severity.

The other form of MS is more aggressive and causes one severe attack after another without any symptom-free periods. The patient will become progressively more unwell.

What are the causes of multiple sclerosis?

The causes of multiple sclerosis are unknown. Possible theories include:
• Environmental factors
• Genetic predisposition
• Virus

Expert, Dr Peter Saul, suggests it may be a combination of factors that cause MS to develop.

Living with multiple sclerosis

When a person is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis they will often become worried and imagine the worst possible outcomes. However relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis means that a person is likely to suffer periods with symptoms and periods without. It is very difficult to predict what they might be and when they might occur as it will always depend on where in the nervous system the damage occurs.

It is recommended that people suffering with MS explain the uncertainty of their symptoms to the people around them to help them understand the condition. For many patients their disease means that they will just have troublesome periods throughout their life.

There are positive steps a patient can take to minimize the effect of MS on their body. These include: • Healthy diet • Not smoking • Regular exercise

Another key step in managing this condition is for a patient to contact the Multiple Sclerosis Society, who can provide valuable advice and keep people up-to-date with the latest treatment and research.

Multiple Sclerosis Society
www.mssociety.org.uk
0808 800 8000

Dr Peter Saul, MB ChB DRCOG DCH MRCGP, Allergy Expert

10008 December 2011