01/10/02
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable,
chronic and often disabling disease of the central nervous system in which
inflammation and breakdown in the protective insulation surrounding the
nerve fibers of the central nervous system occurs. In essence, the body’s
immune system turns against itself.
About 800 of the estimated 350,000
Americans afflicted with multiple sclerosis (MS) live in the 20 counties
covered by the Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia Chapter of the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society.
“We assume that there are probably
twice that many that we don’t know about,” the society’s chapter programs
Director Jeanne B. Brice said, “or they’re in the process of getting a
diagnosis, or they’re in denial and don’t want to deal with it.”
The unpredictable physical and emotional
effects of the disease can be lifelong.
Symptoms of MS vary widely depending
on the individual and may be mild such as numbness or tingling in the limbs
or severe with paralysis or loss of vision. Other symptoms include loss
of balance, slurred speech, tremors and poor coordination, Brice said,
adding nearly all MS sufferers experience fatigue.
Brice said some MS sufferers may
have only slight obvious symptoms, but may have numerous invisible symptoms.
“It’s a very confusing disease,”
she said. “It’s confusing for the doctors and the people (afflicted) and
the family and friends of the people who have it.”
MS, because of its wide variance
of symptoms, is difficult to diagnose and may take several years for a
definitive diagnosis, she said.
“Because of the variability of the
symptoms and because of the fact that they relapse and remit, sometimes
people will have some dizziness or tingling or blurred vision and it goes
away, and they think they’re alright,” she said.
“It takes awhile until all of a sudden
they’re hit between the eyes, and they think ‘Okay, something’s definitely
wrong here. I need to get checked,’” Brice said.
MS is not a fatal disease. MS is
neither contagious nor directly inherited, she said.
Brice said although there is no cure
for MS, various drugs that help lessen the frequency and severity of MS
attacks and slow the progression of the disability - including Avonex,
Betaseron and Copaxone - have been devel-oped in recent years. These drugs
are administered as daily or weekly injections.
The majority of people afflicted
with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, with twice as many
women as men developing the disease, she said.
“There’s a lot of research going
on relating to gender differences and hormone effects," Brice said. “Usually,
there are a lot more women who get MS, but men typically have a more severe
progression than women do.”
For more information about multiple
sclerosis contact the Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia chapter of
the National Multiple Sclerosis Society at (423) 954-9700 or visit the
web site at www.nmss.org.
Chris Zelk
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