What is multiple sclerosis and how is it diagnosed?
MS is a chronic disease in which the body’s own immune system attacks the central nervous system (the brain, the spinal cord and optic nerves). Nerves carry messages (impulses) from throughout our bodies , through our spinal cords and finally to our brains where these ” messages” are processed. Our nerves are covered and protected by a fatty substance called myelin. Myelin helps these impulses travel smoothly along the nerves. With MS, the myelin sheath and sometimes the nerves themselves are damaged or sclerosed. The impulses that try to travel along these paths are interrupted. This interruption results in symptoms of MS which can be mild, such as numbness, or severe, such as paralysis or blindness. MS is believed to be an autoimmune disease. Symptoms of MS include numbness, visual disturbances, walking problems/ gait disturbances, fatigue, spasticity, pain, tremors, speech disorders, and headache. There is no direct test or specific symptom that it used to diagnose MS. Instead, a ph
