Hey everyone. My friend just got diagnosed with MS, and I have no clue what this entails! He is 19 and male... I am not sure how bad it is, as he hasn't told me... I had to find out from others :( But apparently he can't really coordinate his actions through his hands. I want to know how fast MS can affect someone. I heard that it is worse in males. I am very scared for him right now and I would like someone with any knowledge to give me any information!
He was in a terrible car accident a little less than two years ago, so I think this might have triggered it. I am not sure if it is genetic or not.
Thanks for reading this and for any comments that I receive. The attacks that everyone is talking about... is that just the immune system attacking the nervous system or is this something else? You have a lot of questions in here; I'll see if I can get them all...
> My friend just got diagnosed with MS, and I have no clue what this entails!
Multiple Sclerosis (or MS) is an autoimmune disease; that is, it's a disease in which your immune system mistakenly turns on your own body and starts attacking it. In this case, the immune system attacks the nerves of the Central Nervous System, breaking down the myelin sheath surrounding nerve fibers, causing signals to travel more slowly, which causes a lower strength response in the corresponding muscle (because speed and frequency of nerve impulses indicates strength of muscle response).
> apparently he can't really coordinate his actions through his hands.
This is a common symptom of MS. The most common symptoms are:
Bladder Dysfunction
Bowel Dysfunction
Changes in Cognitive Function, including problems with memory, attention, and problem-solving
Dizziness and Vertigo
Depression and other Emotional Changes
Fatigue (also called MS lassitude)
Difficulty in walking and/or balance or coordination problems
Abnormal sensations such as Numbness or 鈥減ins and needles鈥?br>
Sexual Dysfunction
Spasticity
Vision Problems (Optic Neuritis)
Less common symptoms include:
Headache
Hearing Loss
Itching
Seizures
Speech Disorders
Dysphagia (Swallowing Problems)
Tremor
> I want to know how fast MS can affect someone.
For most people, they probably have MS for a while without having any symptoms, as the majority of the lesions they get are "silent" lesions (they don't produce any symptoms). So by the time you get your first symptom, you may have had MS for a while. However, the most important thing to remember is that MS is different for everyone who gets it. There are two main forms of MS: Relapsing and Progressive. The Relapsing form of MS is one in which symptoms "relapse" or show acute worsening, and then "remit," or get better. This is called Relapsing/Remitting MS. For almost everyone who has a relapsing form of MS, it will eventually turn into a progressive form of the disease. The Progressive form of MS is one in which there are no clearly delineated periods of relapse or remission; just slow, steady worsening of symptoms with no real remission. About 85% of people diagnosed with MS are diagnosed with a Relapsing form of the disease.
> I heard that it is worse in males.
> I am not sure if it is genetic or not.
Like I was just saying, MS is different for everyone. Some may have it onset very quickly and then subside or go dormant for years. Others may have two to three short relapses every year, others more. What we do know about the epidemiology of the disease:
1. In the United States, there are estimated to be 400,000 people with MS. Although more people are being diagnosed with MS today than in the past, the reasons for this are not clear. Likely contributors, however, include greater awareness of the disease, better access to medical care, and improved diagnostic capabilities. There is no definitive evidence that the rate of MS is generally on the increase.
2. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although it can occur in young children and significantly older adults.
3. Worldwide, MS occurs with much greater frequency in higher latitudes (above 40掳 latitude) away from the equator, than in lower latitudes, closer to the equator. Even within one geographic area, however, where latitude and climate are fairly consistent, prevalence rates may differ significantly. These differences demonstrate that geographical factors are not the only ones involved.
4. MS is more common among Caucasians (particularly those of northern European ancestry) than other ethnic groups, and is almost unheard of in some populations, such as Inuit, Yakutes, Hutterites, Hungarian Romani, Norwegian Lapps, Australian Aborigines, and New Zealand Maoris. Thus, ethnicity and geography seem to interact in some complex way to impact prevalence figures in different parts of the world.
5. Scientists have long been searching for an infectious agent that might trigger MS. While many different viruses have been suggested, including rabies, herpes simplex virus, measles, corona virus, canine distemper virus, HTLV-1, Epstein-Barr virus, among others, none has yet been confirmed. Chlamydia pneumoniae, a bacterial agent, has also been suggested but never proven, as well as the Borrelia Burgdorferi spirochete. Although no trigger has yet been identified, most MS experts believe that some infectious agent is involved in initiating the disease process.
6. Migration from one geographic area to another seems to alter a person's risk of developing MS. Studies indicate that immigrants and their descendants tend to take on the risk level鈥攅ither higher or lower鈥攐f the area to which they move. The change in risk, however, may not appear immediately. Those who move before the age of 15 tend to take on the new risk themselves. For those who move after the age of 15, the change in risk level may not appear until the next generation. While underlining the complex relationship between environmental and genetic factors in determining who develops MS, these studies have also provided support for the opinion that MS is caused by early exposure to some environmental trigger in genetically-susceptible individuals.
7. MS is approximately two to three times more common in women than in men, suggesting that hormones may also play a significant role in determining susceptibility to MS.
8. Genetic factors are thought to play a significant role in determining who develops MS. The average person in the United States has about one chance in 750 of developing MS. But close (first-degree) relatives of people with MS, such as children, siblings or non-identical twins, have a higher chance鈥攔anging from one in 100 to one in 40. The identical twin of someone with MS, who shares all the same genes, has a one in four chance of developing the disease. If genes were solely responsible for determining who gets MS, an identical twin of someone with MS would have a 100% chance of developing the disease; the fact that the risk is only 1 in 4 demonstrates that other factors, including geography, ethnicity, and the elusive infectious trigger are likely involved as well.
9. Certain outbreaks or "clusters" of MS have been identified, but the cause and significance of these outbreaks are not known.
> He was in a terrible car accident a little less than two years ago, so I think this might have triggered it.
While we don't know exactly what causes MS, I can tell you from my own experience that my symptoms emerged during a very stressful period in my life, so there may be some truth to your statement. However, we really don't know.
Hopefully I've answered all of your questions. Good luck, and I hope your friend is doing okay. The attacks that eilonwy82971 are talking about are what we call relapses or exacerbations. They are the relapses in relapsing/remitting MS. They can be controlled to some degree with medication. Report Abuse
look at my source MS is an autoimmune disease where the nerves of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) degenerate. Inflammation causes the myelin (nerve covering which conducts impulses) to eventually disappear which slows down nerve impulses and leads to problems functioning.
We are constantly learning more about MS. There are genetic and environmental components to it: a parent may pass on the predisposition for an autoimmune disease to their child. Doesn't mean it will be passed on. Doesn't mean that if it is passed on that anything (like a virus) will ever trigger the autoimmune response.
The general population has <1% chance of contracting MS. The chance increases in families where a first-degree relative of a person with MS has the disease. The chance increases in families where a first-degree relative has MS to 1-3%. An identical twin runs a nearly 30% chance of acquiring MS whereas a non-identical twin has only a 4% chance if the other twin has the disease.
There is currently no cure for MS. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable. You never know when an attack will occur, how long it will last, or how severe it will be.
Treatment goals for MS are to reduce the number of attacks, improve recovery from attacks, slow MS's progression, and relieve complications due to the loss of function (i.e. numbness, weakness, loss of muscle coordination, problems with vision, speech, bladder control, etc.).
I had over 30 lesions before I was ever diagnosed. The attacks were just in parts of my brain that didn't cause noticable symptoms. But in the last few months I have had 2 moderate attacks but they resolved quickly.
Here's a easy to understand article http://www.medicinenet.com/multiple_scle...
I also like the "MS for Dummies" book. For me MS was the devil I knew since my mom and aunt have it. But the book was a good reference for my husband. Plus there were tips I hadn't heard of or thought about. |
