Multiple sclerosis: the first signs. Multiple sclerosis: causes, diagnosis, treatment

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that affects the spinal cord and brain. It occurs as a result of the occurrence of inflammatory foci on myelin. This is fatty tissue located around the spine and brain, which protects them like the insulation of electrical wires. Damage to the myelin sheath leads to further spread of inflammatory foci throughout the CNS.

This disease should not be confused with the word “scattered” contained in its name means nothing more than the presence of small foci of the disease, which seem to be scattered throughout the nervous system. But "sclerosis" indicates the nature of the violations. This is scar tissue that looks like a plaque. In medicine, it is called sclerotized.

The prevalence of pathology

Patients with multiple sclerosis are usually young people between the ages of fifteen and forty. But the disease has exceptions. Sometimes it is observed both in childhood and at a more mature age. However, when a person has crossed his fifty-year milestone, the risk of this pathology is reduced significantly.

Multiple sclerosis is three times more common in women than in men. But at the same time, they tolerate the disease more easily.

The prevalence of the disease is influenced by geographical and ethnic factors. Thus, people from North America and Northern Europe suffer the most from multiple sclerosis. This is due to a lack of vitamin D, which is produced in the human body under the influence of sunlight. But Koreans, Chinese and Japanese practically do not know about this pathology.

Who else is affected by multiple sclerosis? The risk group is people living in large cities. In rural areas, pathology is less common. All these facts indicate that the development of multiple sclerosis is influenced by an unfavorable environment.

The disease is quite common. That's 20 to 30 cases for every 100,000 people in the population. Moreover, with a diagnosis of "multiple sclerosis" many young people receive disability after their injuries.

Why does disease occur?

The cause of multiple sclerosis has not yet been elucidated. But in recent years, scientists have associated the development of this pathology with disorders in the work of genetics and the immune system.

In a normal state, our “body defense” reacts sharply to the penetration into the body of an object unknown to it, which can be any virus or microorganism. She first attacks the "invader", and then removes him. The speed of this process is affected by the speed of connection between the links of immunity, as well as the production of cells designed to eliminate the danger.

What happens in multiple sclerosis? Scientists believe that the immune system undergoes a change under the influence of the virus. She begins to perceive myelin as a dangerous object and attacks the cells of this adipose tissue. This phenomenon is called autoimmunity.

4. Mental and emotional disorders. The reason for going to the doctor may be a feeling of fatigue after a long rest. This is an early sign of multiple sclerosis. The disease also manifests itself in cases where it is difficult for a person to remember or retell information. Signs of pathology are also constant irritability and discontent, lack of former ambitions and depression, as well as excessive "playing in public." Of course, after 40-45 years, any person will attribute all these signs to impending old age. However, young people in this case should consult a doctor.

5. Feeling constantly tired. Of course, it is familiar to workaholics, young mothers and students. However, if it persists, you should consult a doctor. A feeling of constant fatigue overtakes patients with multiple sclerosis already in the morning. While still in bed, they have a feeling of heaviness as after working out a triple shift. Sometimes a similar feeling covers the patient right on the street.

6. Failure of the menstrual cycle in women. The presence of foci of pathology on the nerve fibers leads to a violation of the hormonal background and a general disorder of the reproductive system.

7. Intestinal dysfunction. The digestive system can tell a person about the first signs of multiple sclerosis. If he, on condition of a small consumption of flour products, rarely goes to the toilet for a long time and his constipation has become more frequent, then this should be a cause for concern. Of course, such symptoms often occur with a sharp weight gain, with a change in diet for weight loss, or during pregnancy. And here it is necessary to analyze whether you had any other signs of multiple sclerosis.

8. Trembling of hands. If a person notices that it is difficult to fasten buttons or thread a needle, then this may be the first sign of multiple sclerosis. After all, one of the symptoms of pathology is precisely hand trembling.

Multiple sclerosis is an insidious disease due to the inconsistency of symptoms.

Today a person may have an eyeache, and tomorrow he will feel only dizziness and weakness. Further, everything can stop, and the patient will begin to feel quite normal.

Diagnostics

In order to determine the presence of the disease, a specialist conducts a neurological examination of the patient and his oral questioning. Additional research methods are also used.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the spinal cord and brain is considered the most informative of them today. In addition, while observing the patient, the doctor directs him to immunological monitoring, that is, to a regular blood test.

Treatment of multiple sclerosis

To date, scientists have not yet found drugs that can save people from this disease. Doctors for patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, during the course of therapy, prescribe drugs that relieve the symptoms of the disease, alleviate the condition, and also prolong the period of remission and prevent the appearance of various complications.

Treatment for an exacerbation

To date, two types of therapy are used to eliminate multiple sclerosis. The first of them is taking drugs for exacerbations and deterioration of the patient's condition. The second type of therapy is interval therapy. It is applied to those patients who have a long-term improvement in the condition with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. In this case, patients take the medicine for a long time.

An exacerbation is considered a deterioration in health, lasting more than a day. In this case, the patient is prescribed adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisone in the form of injections or tablets. This allows not only to remove inflammation, but also to prevent the occurrence of functional disorders. The combination of drugs such as Cortisone and Cyclophosphamide gives the greatest effect with such therapy. Also, the doctor will individually select medications to eliminate the patient's symptoms.

Integral Treatment

The goal of this therapy is to restore nerve cells in the period between exacerbations. At the same time, medications prescribed by a doctor protect the spinal cord and brain from attacks by the immune system.

During this period and when multiple sclerosis is in remission, treatment is carried out with the help of drugs such as Cyclosporine A, Azathioprine, Mitoxatron and others.

Sometimes the patient is offered and surgical treatment. In order to reduce the immune attack, he may have his spleen removed, or sometimes a bone marrow transplant is given to such patients.

You can also support the patient at home. What is the treatment for multiple sclerosis in this case? Folk remedies recommended by healers:

1. Garlic oil. To prepare it, the chopped head of the vegetable is insisted on sunflower oil. Consume with lemon juice.
2. Honey with onions. This tool strengthens the vessels of the limbs and dissolves blood clots. For its preparation, squeezed onion juice is mixed with honey.
3. Alcohol tincture of garlic. This remedy fights sclerotic formations and helps relieve vascular spasms.

In addition, traditional medicine recommends that all patients with multiple sclerosis not include sweets in their daily diet. The menu should contain foods with low cholesterol levels, as well as those that do not provoke an increase in pressure. In this case, it is desirable to season the dishes with vegetable oils. Frequent drinking of green tea and natural juices is also recommended.

Life expectancy of people with multiple sclerosis

How many years are measured for patients suffering from this neurological disease? It depends on the:

Timeliness of diagnosis;
- the age at which the disease began;
- effectiveness of treatment;
- development of various complications;
- the presence of other pathologies.

How long do people live with multiple sclerosis? At the beginning of the 20th century, patients with this diagnosis were measured for a maximum of thirty years. And this is only if the course of the disease was favorable.

How many people live with multiple sclerosis today? In the 21st century, due to the development of medicine, these people receive more complete treatment. On average, their lives are seven years shorter than their peers. However, each rule has its exceptions, so it is very difficult to reliably predict the development of events.