What to do about MS (From Wimbledon Guardian)

What to do about MS

12:17pm Monday 5th May 2008

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There are about 300 people in Wandsworth who are living with Multiple Sclerosis. Yet medical experts are no closer to finding a cause or cure for this mysterious condition. JAMIE HENDERSON reports.

If you get a headache you can take paracetamol. If you have diabetes you can have a shot of insulin. And if you have cancer you can try chemotherapy.

The problem with multiple sclerosis (MS) is, not only is there no known cause of the condition, experts are no closer to finding a cure than they were 10 years ago.

Those with MS endure a range of symptoms, which include numbness, muscle weakness, muscle spasms, difficulties with coordination and balance, fatigue, speech and visual problems as well as bladder and bowel difficulties Yet many are largely unaware of MS and its symptoms. Many with the condition are faced with the ignorance of others who assume if they fall over, or are unsteady on their feet, they are drunk.

Members of the Wandsworth branch of the MS Society have worked hard to challenge these misconceptions by using the recent MS Awareness Week to educate the public about their condition.

A condition of the central nervous system, the easiest way to understand MS is to think of the nervous system as an electrical circuit; the brain and spinal cord acting as the power source and the rest of the body being the lights.

Nerves are like electric cables linking the appliances together. And and myelin layer is like the plastic insulation encasing these cables. If the insulation gets damaged, the appliances will become faulty and there may be a short circuit.

With MS there is an inflammation which is thought to cause damage to the myelin, resulting in scarring around the nerve fibres.

Jack Wood, chairman of the Wandsworth MS Society, said: "The most difficult part of helping people understand MS is removing some of the false truths that seem to have spread. Many people think that the disease is contagious, hereditary or confuse it with something like muscular dystrophy.

"The aim of the awareness week is to educate those who are not affected by the disease so they are more aware should they, or loved ones, be diagnosed and to improve the general understanding of MS.

"We keep thinking we are making progress only for scientists to realise we have gone one step forward and then two steps back."

The three most common types of MS are relapsing remitting, secondary progressive and primary progressive.

The mildest is relapsing remitting, characterised by unpredictable attacks followed by periods of months to years of relative quiet where sufferers can lead a comparatively normal lifestyle.

At their worst, acute relapses may need hospital treatment.

Research shows about 65 per cent of those with relapsing remitting MS develop secondary progressive within 15 years of diagnosis.

Secondary progressive is the most common type of MS and causes the greatest amount of disability.

It is identified when the disease becomes steadily worse, and the disability progresses, for a period of six months or more.

Sufferers continue to experience attacks, but rather than facing periods of remission they have a steady increase of disability between them.

With secondary progressive, lesions or scars can form on the brain which can lead to problems with cognitive function Primary progressive affects only 10 to 15 per cent of people who have the condition.

As the name suggests, the change is progressive and the pattern of relapses and remissions does not occur.

People with primary progressive MS tend to be diagnosed when they are older, as initial symptoms are commonly experienced in their 40s or later.

Another important difference with primary progressive MS is that sufferers develop walking difficulties, such as a dragging leg.

This is likely to stem from the fact that primary progressive lesions are more commonly found within the spinal cord rather than the brain so mobility is affected more than brain function.

For more information about the MS Society and its local branches visit mssociety.org.uk MS - the facts

• An estimated 2,500,000 people in the world have multiple sclerosis - including 85,000 in the UK
• It is more common in countries further away from the equator.

• It is most often diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 40.

• Once diagnosed, MS stays with the person for life, but treatments and specialist care can help people to manage many symptoms.

• Research has found no evidence to suggest MS is hereditary, contagious or affects life expectancy.

• There is no cure for MS but there are now drugs which can modify its course for some people, with many symptoms being successfully treated or managed.

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