Symptoms and Causes of Multiple Sclerosis

Doctors and researchers have identified several possible causes of Multiple Sclerosis, including a virus. A well-known virus has been identified as one of the possible causes of Multiple Sclerosis. The Epstein-Barr virus is the virus that has been linked to MS.

The Epstein-Barr virus is responsible for mononucleosis. Mononucleosis is also known as mono and glandular fever. The Epstein-Barr virus is a member of the herpes virus family.

A significant percentage of persons who had a severe case of mononucleosis at some point in their life, developed MS a decade later.

The Epstein-Barr virus also is a significant risk factor in developing two rare forms of cancer.

Other Causes of MS

There are two other possible causes of Multiple Sclerosis. One of these is genetic factors and the other is the environment. A person's risk of having MS depends, to a great deal, on where they live.

Multiple Sclerosis is frequently found in countries such as Scandinavia and Scotland. If someone is living in an area where there are very few MS cases, and they move to another area with a high number of MS cases before they hit puberty, they are more likely to get the symptoms of MS.

MS Central Nervous System

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease that changes the regular function of the central nervous system( CNS). MS symptoms first appear when patients are below the age of 40 and above the age of 20.

Since MS affects the CNS, multiple sclerosis patients may experience symptoms of MS such as transitory abnormal sensory feelings, including tingling, numbness and ‘pins and needles’ sensations.

MS affects a person's vision. MS patients may experience blurred vision or blindness. Some persons have problems with differentiating red and green. In the later stages of MS, vision problems go away for some reason.

In the early stages, vision problems may be treated by using Solu-Medrol and oral steroids.

Symptoms of MS may be severe enough to limit a patient’s ability to stand or walk. MS also causes paralysis in the most severe cases.

MS Weakness

Persons may be able to move their limbs but may suffer from a feeling of weakness. In these cases, muscle stiffness can actually lend support to weak arms and legs. Braces, canes, walkers and even some drugs, can help persons regain their mobility.

Multiple Sclerosis Treatment

Multiple sclerosis treatment involves the use of drugs and other methods that improve the MS patient's ability to go about life with as little pain as possible. Some of the drugs that help MS patients are muscle relaxants. Muscle relaxants help to ease the muscle stiffness that is sometimes experienced by persons living with MS.

Multiple Sclerosis Research

Multiple sclerosis research is moving forward as changes in technology allow researchers to use new methods of finding out how the body responds to the disease. Multiple sclerosis research has also taken a step forward with more understanding of how the immune system contributes to the growth of MS lesions.

People with MS have a good life expectancy. This is because of continuing growth in knowledge about MS and improvements in the way MS is treated.