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| *Women health>>>Multiple Sclerosis |
Does anyone have knowledge about how prevalent multiple sclerosis is? the CDC does not keep track? |
What are the risk factor for this mysterious disease? "It is estimated that 400,000 people have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the United States. The true number of cases may be even higher due to patients鈥?reluctance to have the disease reported and the uncertainty in multiple sclerosis diagnosis. In general, women are affected with MS at almost twice the rate of men. Caucasians are more than twice as likely as others to develop the disease. MS is five times more prevalent in temperate climates, such as the northern United States, than in tropical regions. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, neurological disease. It is thought to be an autoimmune disease, which means the immune system attacks healthy areas of the body. In MS, these attacks are aimed at the central nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of nerves covered by a substance called myelin. Myelin is similar to insulation protecting electrical wires because it surrounds and protects nerve fibers. In MS, attacks are random patches of inflammation that occur sporadically in the brain and/or spinal cord, causing a breakdown of this myelin sheath, a process called demyelination that results in plaques or lesions along the myelin sheath that interfere with nerve conduction. There currently is no cure for MS, but in the last decade there have been treatments discovered for relapsing-remitting MS, the most common type. A good diet, rest, exercise, and drug therapy are all important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle with MS. The cause of multiple sclerosis (MS) is not known. Researchers believe the combination of heredity, the immune system, and possibly a virus may play a role in a person developing multiple sclerosis. Individuals may inherit a susceptibility to the disease, but not the disease itself. Most people experience their first multiple sclerosis symptoms or a relapse between the ages of 20 and 40. Symptoms of MS include loss of vision, double vision, stiffness, weakness, imbalance, numbness, pain, problems with bladder and bowel control, fatigue, sexual changes, speech and swallowing difficulties, emotional changes, and intellectual impairment. Each person living with MS may experience a different set of symptoms. For people with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, a relapse or attack can create temporary disability 鈥?even paralysis. Once the relapse subsides, the person can regain all or part of the lost function. Neurologists believe it is critical to reduce the number of relapses or attacks patients have. While there currently is no cure for MS, there are viable, effective treatment options for relapsing-remitting MS. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) issued a consensus statement in the fall of 1998 calling for anyone with a confirmed diagnosis of RRMS to discuss initiating therapy with their doctor. Research has shown that immunomodulating drug therapy and lifestyle management can reduce the frequency of MS relapses. Many people with MS are able to lead highly productive and fulfilling lives, raising families, working full time, and participating in a wide variety of activities. Life expectancy for people with MS generally is only reduced by about five years on average. Doctors encourage people to remain active. Appropriate vigorous exercise actually has shown a positive effect on early and mild to moderate MS." I have this disease myself. I have mild RRMS and had partial paralysis of the left lower body for nearly a year. My symptoms now mostly include pain and fatigue. I take several medications, mostly for pain control, as needed and a daily medication. I have regained all of my mobility and am extremely active once I haul my carcass out of bed. I go back to work full time next week, even! No one else in my family has MS, and there is no known history of it in my ancestors. We're not sure *why* I got it other than the fact I am Scandinavian/Germanic and female. Which are two of the risk factors, I guess. I posted some links for you in the source area below. ~Morg~ Source(s): http://www.bandagainstms.org/index.html... http://www.nmss.org/ http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/multi... http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/multi... The CDC is primarily concerned with infectious diseases. MS is not as mysterious as you may think. I suggest you go to www.nmss.org, the web site for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and look for answers there. I'm a nurse. it is more common in women than men and also more common in Caucasians. In northern Europe, continental North America, and Australasia, about one of every 1000 citizens suffers from multiple sclerosis, whereas in the Arabian peninsula, Asia, and continental South America, the frequency is much lower Wikipedia.org More than 350,000 people in the United States and 2.5 million worldwide have MS. Yes, the CDC does track. Go to their site at http://www.cdc.gov and type multiple sclerosis into the search box in the top right corner of the page. There's a lot of info there. Risk factors include family history and living in an area with a high incidence of MS. |
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