Multiple Sclerosis Case Study

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Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease, which is when body creates antibodies that attack its own tissue(s), that affects the body on a neurological level. Specifically, the disease targets the myelin sheath in the central nervous system, which contains the brain and spinal cord. Damage to the myelin sheath causes problems with transmitting accurate signals to the rest of the body (Virtual Medical Centre, 2013). It is one of the most common causes of chronic neurological disability in adults (Virtual Medical Centre, 2013). Environmental and genetic factors can contribute to the cause of multiple sclerosis (MS), such as a positive correlation between the risk and distance from the equator (Clark, 2014). This is more strongly related to MS than any other factor (Virtual …show more content…
Twins that are identical have an increased risk (thirty-three percent) of developing MS and exposure to the Epstein-Barr Virus (also known as mononucleosis) can increase the risk of MS (Virtual Medical Centre, 2013). Multiple sclerosis can progress in four different ways; relapsing remitting (the coming and going of the disease), primary progressive, secondary progressive (after relapsing and remitting from the disease, it becomes progressive without the relapsing and remitting), and progressive relapsing (relapsing remitting with progressive symptoms) (Virtual Medical Centre, 2013). The symptoms that occur from MS involve optic neuritis (painful vision loss), reduced balance and fine motor control, constant state of tiredness, numbness or tingling in the extremities, and altering of moods (Clark, 2014; Virtual Medical Centre, 2013). Patients with MS have a life expectancy of seven years, and because of this treatments are the only way to subdue the cause of the central nervous system's myelin sheath being