Physical disability
Early signs of multiple sclerosis may fade, but sometimes patients notice changes in physical activity. This can be explained by a disruption in the passage of impulses from the muscles to the brain. First of all, it is increased fatigue. If previously it was easy to overcome the climb up the stairs or the road from home to work, then gradually this task becomes difficult to complete. Paresis develops, limiting movements, and over time the ability to train muscles, which is necessary to maintain motor activity, is lost. The progression of paresis and paralysis is the reason leading to the need to use assistive devices. Impaired motor activity leads to early wear and tear of the spinal joints, which only worsens the situation. In order to move, people with MS have to exert more effort even for basic movements. The overall situation is complicated by side effects associated with taking drugs for multiple sclerosis.
Mental changes
In this matter, not everything is so clear. In only a quarter of patients, mental changes are directly related to MS. In other cases, depression and frequent mood swings are associated only with awareness of the disease and possible prognosis, its complex course and treatment. Despite all treatment efforts, it is impossible to cure MS; it is only possible to curb its progression. A few days before an exacerbation, patients note increased irritability and mood swings. In the later stages of the disease, problems with concentration and difficulties with writing and counting are possible. In rare cases, personality changes and dementia may occur.
Infectious complications
Restricted mobility is a predisposing factor for infectious complications. Typical complications include:
- urinary tract infections, which can be explained by incomplete emptying of the bladder;
- pneumonia, due to congestion and impaired ventilation of the lungs, accumulated mucus can become a breeding ground for the development of bacteria;
- the formation of bedsores - ulcers on the skin that become infected, and in severe cases can cause sepsis.
Does MS give you a disability?
MS is often disabling, but group identification can be difficult due to the large number and variety of symptoms. Even the same clinical form can occur differently. Therefore, the group is established on the basis of motor activity disorders:
- Group I is indicated for pronounced movement disorders;
- Group II is given for severe disorders of the motor system;
- Group III is given when a person remains able to work and has mild or moderate movement disorders.
The timing of the transition to disability varies: in some patients, motor impairments appear in the first years after the onset of the disease, in others much later. There are cases where disability was assigned decades or more later.
Prevention
There is still no consensus on what exactly leads to the development of multiple sclerosis, but predisposing factors have been identified. And just their elimination is a means of prevention if there is an existing predisposition. These recommendations should also be followed when the first signs of multiple sclerosis appear:
- Lifestyle
This is a key factor in helping prevent the development of MS. First of all, this is ensuring sufficient physical activity, the main thing is that it is constant, but you should not abuse training. It is important to give up bad habits, avoid stress and emotional stress.
- Nutrition
The diet should contain a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. It is necessary to limit the consumption of animal fats; it is better to replace them with dishes high in Omega-3 acids, that is, vegetable oils and fatty fish. It is necessary to exclude sweets, spicy, smoked, fatty cheeses, as well as red meat from the diet.
- Prevention of infectious diseases
Infections of any type, even ordinary acute respiratory viral infections, are a signal that activates the immune system, and its excessive activity affects the myelin sheath of the nerves. Accordingly, preventing infections will help avoid complications and rapid progression of the disease. Prognosis MS is a disease that constantly progresses, but the rate of its development varies greatly.
Forecast
The disease depends on many factors: lifestyle, timely diagnosis and treatment initiated.
However, the acute form of MS, which affects one in four patients, can shorten life expectancy by 4-6 years. However, this is the exception rather than the rule. And if you follow the doctor’s recommendations and properly selected therapy, life expectancy does not decrease. And if the diagnosis was made to a person at the age of 35-40, there is every chance of living fully and actively until 70 years old, or even more. Text: Yulia Lapushkina.
Causes and symptoms of multiple sclerosis in women
Content:
Multiple sclerosis Types of multiple sclerosis Causes of multiple sclerosis in women Course of the disease Clinical symptoms Diagnosis Treatment Prognosis
In recent years, the concept of multiple sclerosis has become increasingly common. This serious chronic disease has now been reported in more than 2.5 million people. More often the disease is diagnosed in women. Multiple sclerosis is not a fatal disease, but it greatly affects the quality of life. Currently, a lot of research is being conducted around the world regarding the causes of multiple sclerosis, as well as its treatment. Much remains unstudied, but the types of the disease, its causes and clinical signs, as well as ways to help the patient with his condition are already known.
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the nervous system. When it occurs, immune system reactions damage the myelin sheath of the nerve fibers of the spinal cord and brain, which leads to the manifestation of various symptoms. The disease is chronic.
It is a mistake to classify multiple sclerosis as a disease of old age, since it is almost always registered in young people between 20 and 40 years old. Although the disease is diagnosed much more often in women, men are susceptible to more severe forms. At its core, multiple sclerosis appears as a series of remissions and exacerbations, leading either to a deterioration in the patient’s condition or to a long “rest” from the disease. Foci of inflammation in the myelin sheath grow as the disease progresses and cause dysfunction of the nervous system. This process is not reversible, which defines multiple sclerosis as an incurable disease. The destruction of nerve fibers occurs at different rates, which is why there are different types of multiple sclerosis. It is impossible to predict in advance what type of disease will develop, as well as to calculate its outcome. It is currently not possible to cure the disease completely, but there are proven methods and drugs for maintaining remissions.
Types of multiple sclerosis
The initial manifestation of the disease is defined as a clinically isolated syndrome. At this stage, it is impossible to determine by what principle the disease will develop in the future. As symptoms progress, the following types of multiple sclerosis are distinguished: 1. Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. With this type of disease, exacerbations are observed, in the periods between which there is no deterioration in the body’s condition. However, the exacerbation itself can lead to the emergence of new symptoms or an increase in the manifestation of previous ones. 2. Progressive multiple sclerosis, in turn, is divided into primary progressive and secondary progressive. In the primary progressive type, the increase in symptoms occurs gradually, starting from the onset of the disease. Gradual, slow deterioration1 does not allow distinguishing between periods of exacerbation and remission. The progression of the disease is generally faster than in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Secondary progressive sclerosis develops even faster than primary sclerosis, and periods of exacerbation and remission are also impossible to determine. Despite the existence of a classification, the disease develops individually in each case, so it is quite difficult to predict its course in a particular patient even after determining the type of disease.
Causes of multiple sclerosis in women
Although the causes of multiple sclerosis are still being researched, factors that increase the risk of developing the disease include:
- Being female;
- Age (20-40 years);
- Heredity;
- Infectious diseases (for example, Epstein-Barr virus);
- Autoimmune diseases;
- Weakened immunity;
- Bad ecology;
- Increased background radiation;
- Intoxication;
- Smoking;
- Stress;
- Heavy mental stress;
- Injuries.
In addition, diseases such as type I diabetes, diseases of the thyroid gland, and gastrointestinal tract contribute to the occurrence of multiple sclerosis. It is believed that the disease mainly affects people of European origin, as well as residents of countries with temperate climates. Separately, none of these factors can cause a disease such as multiple sclerosis. As already noted, the exact cause of its occurrence has not yet been determined. However, several negative factors together significantly increase the likelihood of developing multiple sclerosis.
Course of the disease
The course of the disease is always directly related to the organs and functions that it affects.
Multiple sclerosis affects mainly the spinal cord and brain, which determines the clinical picture of the disease. During multiple sclerosis, there are periods of exacerbations and remissions, during which the disease does not worsen. Exacerbations lead to the emergence of new symptoms or worsening of previous ones, while remission, which can last for years, provides the patient with a kind of respite from the disease, and also allows one to restore the functions of the nervous system lost during exacerbations. However, multiple sclerosis can begin gradually, without jumps in the form of exacerbations, and with the most harmless signs - increased fatigue, slight dizziness, forgetfulness, emotional instability. It is quite difficult to identify the disease in the early stages, since most people attribute such symptoms to work, fatigue and stress. More unpleasant symptoms gradually develop: sensitivity disorder, tingling, numbness and even pain in the body, especially in the limbs, as well as serious visual impairment. Subsequently, the symptoms intensify, the patient’s capacity and cognitive functions decrease. Movement disorders and tremors develop. In severe cases of the disease, the patient loses the ability to move freely, and he increasingly requires outside help. This development of the disease can ultimately lead to seizures, muscle rigidity and paralysis of the limbs. Intellectual impairment is also on the rise. Weakening of memory and brain activity progresses to serious disorders and dementia. Possible complications of the underlying disease include epilepsy, dysfunction of sexual function, the gastrointestinal tract and urinary system.
Clinical symptoms
There are many symptoms of multiple sclerosis. The earliest signs in women include a number of unexpected conditions that are most difficult to mistake for the onset of the development of a dangerous disease. These are symptoms such as forgetfulness, clumsiness, menstrual irregularities, spasms and pain in various parts of the body, and changes in the frequency of urination. The latter includes both rare trips to the toilet and, conversely, their increased frequency. An important early symptom is blurred vision. Problems with color determination, “spots” in front of the eyes, blurry contours of objects, rapid eye fatigue. Vision may decrease unevenly, for example, only in the left or right eye, while in the other it does not deteriorate at all. An important clinical symptom, as with many serious diseases, will also be chronic fatigue and emotional disorders. Among the more obvious signs in women, when they occur, one should suspect something is wrong are dizziness and nausea, as well as numbness of the limbs, tingling and tremors in the arms and legs. Doctors especially recommend noting loss of sensation in the fingertips. If it becomes difficult to determine the temperature of hot and cold objects or liquids, you should immediately make an appointment. With further unfavorable development of multiple sclerosis, difficulties with fine motor skills appear; it becomes difficult for the patient to type messages on the phone or texts on the keyboard, perform other small actions and manipulate small objects, and do handicrafts. Eventually, speech and swallowing problems, muscle weakness and tremors, and problems with coordination and movement may appear. It is especially important to note impairments of cognitive functions, which also cannot be ignored. Harmless forgetfulness can turn into more serious memory loss, and in the future - severe impairment of intellectual activity. As a result, multiple sclerosis can lead to weakened motor functions, urinary and fecal incontinence, and paralysis. However, such a development of the disease is observed only in extremely advanced cases. Timely diagnosis and treatment will most likely protect against such consequences and allow the patient to maintain the proper quality of life.
Diagnostics
Diagnosis of the disease begins with collecting anamnesis and conducting a neurological examination. At the moment, the main method that can determine pathological changes in the organs of the nervous system is MRI or magnetic resonance imaging. This technology will help not only to identify the disease, but also to monitor its development. To clarify the disease, additional methods are used - analysis of cerebrospinal fluid, fluid washing the spinal cord and brain, as well as the study of evoked potentials. The latter is a fairly sensitive and informative method for determining disorders of the nervous system and identifying multiple sclerosis. In addition to all of the above, blood tests may be required to exclude other possible diagnoses, as well as infections.
Treatment
Treatment for multiple sclerosis is aimed at controlling the symptoms of the disease and maintaining a state of remission. It is impossible to achieve a complete cure, but you can successfully cope with periods of exacerbation of the disease. Multiple sclerosis is treated with high doses of corticosteroids. This is a series of hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs that help reduce inflammation in the brain and spinal cord and restore the functions of the nervous system. In addition, immunomodulators are actively used to suppress the raging immune system. When a state of stable remission is achieved, physical therapy becomes necessary as a way to maintain the health of the nervous system and restore its functions. Proper care and lack of stress will be an undoubted help in the fight against any disease, not only multiple sclerosis.
Forecast
The course and development of the disease cannot be calculated. The disease is extremely unpredictable and progresses at different speeds and intensity in each individual case. Periods of remission can range from several months to many years. However, the disease extremely rarely leads to a reduction in life expectancy and, for the most part, affects its quality. Rapid development of symptoms and severe exacerbations can lead to disability and loss of capacity. And with proper treatment and care, the disease can be kept under relative control for a long time and allow the patient to lead a full, active life.
Is multiple sclerosis incurable?
Strictly speaking, there are no curable chronic diseases. With any of them, a pathological process remains in the body. The goal of treatment is to make sure that it does not bother the person. In case of multiple sclerosis, timely contact with specialists allows you to ensure that the disease does not affect the quality of life of patients.
Family cases of RIS (radiological isolated syndrome - asymptomatic) deserve special attention, which must be actively monitored in order to prescribe an effective drug to prevent brain damage in a timely manner.
By the way,
a vaccine against MS was promised by 2021. Research continues, but there are no encouraging results yet. According to preliminary data, vaccination is unlikely to be able to protect against chronic diseases with an autoimmune-degenerative mechanism of development.
What therapy is used?
20 years ago, drugs appeared that changed the course of multiple sclerosis—DMTs—which radically changed the prognosis of the disease. Now, with the correct selection of therapy, the life of patients with MS does not differ from the lives of other people, either in quality or in duration. They give birth, travel, set sports records, etc.
Question answer
What is the life expectancy of people with multiple sclerosis? However, simply writing a prescription for MS is not enough. There are no standard treatments for multiple sclerosis. The disease progresses differently for everyone, and the medicine only works if it accurately hits the pathological process that occurs in the body.
The correct selection of therapy is also important because the more effective the drug, the more side effects it has. If medications are prescribed without indications, serious consequences are possible (infections, somatic problems, etc.). Each drug has its own “risk management plan.” If it is performed, the likelihood of side effects is minimal.
In our country, more than 60 thousand patients receive these expensive medications free of charge.
Why is the number of patients growing?
This is partly due to improved diagnostics - in particular MRI, which allows early diagnosis and detection of mild cases of MS.
There are more patients because, thanks to the advent of new drugs, patients with multiple sclerosis are living longer.
There is convincing evidence of a connection between the number of patients and the deterioration of the environmental situation in the region. Thus, in Sardinia, after the construction of oil refineries, an outbreak occurred - more than 100 cases of disease per 100 thousand people (one of the highest rates in Europe). A similar situation occurred in the Gulf countries, where the incidence of MS in the Arab population increased by 8–10 times.
Vitamin D deficiency and changes in the intestinal microbiota (due to frequent use of antibiotics and changes in diet) are of great importance. In countries where the diet has changed from fish to meat, there are more patients with MS.
Autoimmune diseases can also trigger infections. There are a number of viruses (endogenous retroviruses) that are integrated into the genome and can be inherited. In MS, one of the most significant is the Epstein-Barr virus, which promotes various mutations that disrupt the control of the “self or foe” immune system.
Epigenetic regulatory mechanisms differ significantly between men and women. This explains the fact that women suffer from multiple sclerosis more often than men.
Broken bike. How do people with multiple sclerosis feel? More details
Myelin sheath of nerve fibers
A neuron is a structural unit of the nervous system, and the task of these cells is to transmit impulses. The speed of transmission is related to the presence of myelin on the axons (processes) of nerve cells. Myelin, which forms the myelin sheath, is a protein-like substance that is white in color, which is why myelin fibers are often called white. Myelination of nerves begins in the 4th month of intrauterine development and normally persists throughout life. The myelin sheath performs several functions:
- mechanical strength of nerve fibers;
- protection from external influences, both at the cellular and molecular level;
- axon nutrition;
- its electrochemical isolation and stimulation of the speed of impulse transmission.
Destruction of the myelin sheath is a serious condition that causes numerous neurological diseases, including MS.
