THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA (INC.)

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MS is considered to be an autoimmune disease, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks normal tissue in the body, resulting in inflammation and swelling.

Research to date suggests that this attack is primarily aimed at myelin and oligodendrocytes, cells responsible for making and maintaining myelin.

Recurring episodes of MS can cause many scars to form in the central nervous system (CNS) where there has been breakdown of myelin, the insulating material that covers the nerve fibres. This damage can result in impairment of motor, sensory and/or cognitive functions to a greater or lesser extent.

The CNS includes the brain, optic nerves and spinal cord, act as the body’s messenger system.

Myelin is the fatty covering (white matter) that serves as insulation, like the plastic coating on an electrical wire. This helps the efficient transmission of nerve impulses (messages) between the brain and other parts of the body.

In MS, a process called demyelination causes scar tissue or sclerotic plaques (lesions) to form along the myelin sheath. These interfere with the conduction of nerve impulses within the CNS, which causes the myriad of symptoms people may experience over the course of MS.

In addition research indicates that damage may also occur to the nerve fibres (axons) themselves. Because this damage is seen in active, inflammatory lesions, researchers have suggested that the immune attack in MS may also target nerve cells directly, not just the myelin and oligodendrocyte cells. Evidence indicates that this damage may occur early in the course of MS, reinforcing the importance of early treatment.

Types of MS

While there is no way to predict with any accuracy how a person’s MS will progress, four basic clinical patterns have been defined:

  • Relapsing-remitting MS: characterised by clearly defined attacks (relapses or exacerbations), which last from days to weeks and then subside with full or partial recovery and no noticeable disease progression between attacks.
  • Primary-progressive MS is characterised by a gradual but steady progression of disability from the onset with no obvious plateaus or remissions or only occasional plateaus and minor temporary improvements.
  • Secondary-progressive MS begins initially as a relapsing-remitting course that later evolves into a more consistently progressive course with or without relapses.
  • Progressive-relapsing MS shows a steady progression in disability from the onset of the disease, but with clear, acute relapses (attacks) that may or may not have some recovery following the acute episode.
References: MS Australia
Knowledge is Power Volume 1.
Read more at: MS Trust