Multiple Sclerosis Essays (1698 words) - Cytokines,

Multiple Sclerosis The Inside Disease Multiple Sclerosis affects 350,000 people around the United States. Judy Rhamini, a forty- six-year-old mother of two, was diagnosed with the crippling disease in 1988. In late 1997, her attacks had become so devastating that one of them left her arms and legs temporarily paralyzed. To combat the attacks, Mrs. Rhamini began a four- hour daily regimen of intravenous steroids. Within weeks, her pain was gone. Judy Rhamini now takes Avonex, which is a beta- interferon, and since beginning this treatment, she has only had two mild attacks. With advances in the medical field, there is now hope that a cure for multiple sclerosis will be found in the near future. Many new drugs are being developed to stunt the progression of multiple sclerosis. Some of these new drugs are being used today, and they are helping patients cope with the hardships of multiple sclerosis. Judy Rhamini tells how Avonex has helped her; My MS has definitely slowed down. I am so grateful. However, to find a cure, scientists still have to come to a distinct conclusion to what causes this disease. The only way to rid a patient of this horrible disease is to attack the main culprit responsible for bringing the disease upon a person. Although scientists are not totally sure, there are many possibilities as to what causes multiple sclerosis. Scientists feel that there are two main possible causes for multiple sclerosis: the environment in which a person lives, and Herpes Virus 6. Experts are not totally sure, but they are working out the problems, and are confident they will find the answer soon. Some viruses have been thought to be a cause, but it usually comes down to the environment in which a person lives. Speculations have been made that the environment in which a person lives, may be a cause for multiple sclerosis. There are approximately 350,000 Americans with MS, and estimates suggest that there are two hundred new cases diagnosed each week. With this in mind, it would make a person think that America is the environment to blame, and this just might be the case. Researchers have found that the further one lives from the equator, the more likely one is to develop multiple sclerosis. Obviously, there has to be more causes for multiple sclerosis. There is no way one can develop a disease solely by living in a certain area. In addition to the environment, viruses common in the area may also bring on this disease. In the past, many viruses have been linked to multiple sclerosis. The latest and strongest case has been Herpes Virus 6 (HHV-6). In a recent study, more than 70 percent of the patients tested showed signs of active infections of HHV-6. This made scientists and doctors feel as if they had found the cause, but they still did not have the 100 percent sure results they needed. The cause is still unknown, because HHV-6 may only be a symptom of multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis has many symptoms, and scientists fear that their latest discovery may just be that, an unfortunate symptom that patients will have to suffer with. Multiple sclerosis is not an easy disease to put a finger on. Patients are often misdiagnosed, and are forced to cope with their symptoms until they are finally diagnosed correctly. Multiple sclerosis has many symptoms, some physical and some mental. The physical symptoms may be more difficult of the two to deal with. Multiple sclerosis can be diagnosed with the occurrence of many physical symptoms. Some debilitating physical symptoms of multiple sclerosis can be change in vision, abnormal sensations throughout the body, and muscle weakness. Symptoms appear to patients in attacks and / or phases. Symptoms can appear and disappear in a matter of days or weeks. Many of the main physical symptoms go into remission for some time, but many may be permanent. Remember, most patients become paralyzed as the disease progresses. Along with physical symptoms, multiple sclerosis can bring on many mental changes to a person. Multiple sclerosis brings on many problems to the mental capabilities of a patient. Multiple sclerosis can force a person to go through psychological changes that can be devastating to a persons life. These changes