Pharmacy UK

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic illness that is often associated with elder people. However, it is not true since multiple sclerosis is something totally different from the sclerosis leading to poor memory which is really more common among people in their 60s and 70s. As for the multiple sclerosis it is a disease mainly disclosed among the patients in the age of 15-40. The word “multiple” in this particular case means that sclerosis has

multiple focuses that may be located in different parts of the organism. There is very sad statistics stating that today multiple sclerosis is the second most wide spread neurological disease among young people with about 20-30 sickness cases for 1000 people. There are nearly no multiple sclerosis among people older than 50.

Symptoms

Actually there are a great number of various symptoms that may indicate multiple sclerosis like blindness in one eye, double vision, different kinds of vision impairment, problems having mental, psychological and physical character and so on.

There are also some symptoms that may look not really obvious: muscular weakness, depression, sleep impairment, numbness of fingers and toes, motor dysfunction and dozens of other symptoms.

Factors causing multiple sclerosis

The main negative factor that may lead to multiple sclerosis is poor immune function. Basically spinal medulla and brain are protected with hematoencephalic barrier, but if there is impairment of the immune function this protection turns against the organism. Lymphocytes attack the cells of the body instead of bad cells of a virus, for example. That is why this disease is called “autoimmune” – it means that the immune system starts fighting not with the pathogens coming from the outside but with its own cells.

As for other factors causing multiple sclerosis we would like to mention genetic predisposition, lasting and strong stress, viruses and lack of the vitamin D.

Multiple sclerosis prevention

Scientists and doctors agree that there are several efficient measures helping prevent multiple sclerosis. Please, find the list below:
  • 1. Mental strain and stress avoidance
  • 2. Smoking/alcohol drinking cessation
  • 3. Healthy diet (please contact your therapist or dietitian – they will provide individual nutrition recommendations suiting particularly your organism)
  • 4. Maintenance of healthy and natural body weight
  • 5. Hormonal contraceptives cessation

Consequences of multiple sclerosis

In the majority of sickness cases people are able to lead normal life for at least 25 years. Unfortunately, in 10% cases disablement comes within 5 years.

The disease has slower progress if it occurred in younger age and if the first symptoms were vision problems. Moreover, doctors emphasize that multiple sclerosis is a sickness that is individual in very particular case. There are examples when people managed to feel good after 30 years of multiple sclerosis and even longer.

According to the doctors’ opinion the chances for remission grow much hire if a patient contacts his or her therapist within the shortest possible time after first symptoms.

Facts about multiple sclerosis

People leaving in the North lack the vitamin D much more than inhabitants of the equator zone. That is why they are more vulnerable to multiple sclerosis (70 cases of sickness for 100 000 people). Women feel sick several times oftener than men; however the progress of disease for them is less inconvenient.

Racial factor is incredibly important as well. For instance, people from Japan, China and South Korea almost never suffer from multiple sclerosis while the Europeans are the most vulnerable people in the world. Furthermore, urban citizens suffer 2-3 times oftener that the people who live in the rural area.

Treatment

Treatment type is determined by individual conditions and the progress of the disease. There is no versatile solution for multiple sclerosis treatment, unfortunately. Every specialist has his or her own approach to it.

Anyway, there are many up-to-date, safe and powerful preparations like Baclofen which are extremely helpful in maintaining remission or in alleviating inconvenience caused by multiple sclerosis.