Patalogy of the Central Nevrvous System: Multiple Sclerosis Essay

Multiple Sclerosis: Pathology of the Central Nervous System Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that commonly found in individuals between the ages of 20 and 40. While men with MS tend to have a faster progressing disease, women are more likely than men to develop it. MS comes in many forms due to the extent of the damage and the amount of lesions, along with how quickly it progresses. All of this collectively forms the MS community today and has resulted in new test methods and forms of treatment developed to both help relieve the symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. This research paper will go through what causes a person to develop MS, what is going on within the body that causes the symptoms people experience, both the objective and subjective findings of MS, as wells as pharmaceutical and natural treatment options. Pathophysiology Multiple Sclerosis is distinguished as a chronic autoimmune disease that results in the demyelination of the central nervous system. The ultimate problem is that myelin within the central nervous system becomes inflamed and scarred which has massive effects on the individual. Huether and McCance (2012) go into great detail about what Multiple Sclerosis is stating that it is a multifactorial disease, meaning that it results when a person is genetically prone to developing MS and then develops a virus in the nervous system. The demyelination and inflammation of the central nervous system is caused by plasma cells, B-lymphocytes, T-cells and proinflammatory cytokines and causes the scarring and the degeneration of axons, which is unfortunately irreversible. Aside from the central inflammation caused by the disease, there is also injury throughout the CNS that is classified as ... ...ve the symptoms associated with the disease. Other, natural options, for people include dietary changes, daily exercise, massage, and herbal remedies to name a few. There are still unknowns about MS, however, there have been great advancements in the diagnosing and treatment of multiple sclerosis that are helping individuals who have the disease every day. References Alnar, O. (2009). Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis. CNS and Neurological Disorders- Drug Targest, 8 (3), 167-174. Cantorna, M. (2006). Vitamin D and its Role in Immunology: Multiple Sclerosis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, 92, (1), 60- 64. Huether, S. E., McCance, K. L. (2012). Understanding Pathophysiology. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Inc. Wilson, S., Giddens, J. Health Assessment for Nursing Practice. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Inc.