Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis
Biology 1090
Mary Weeks

Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating inflammatory disorder

of the central nervous system (Fletcher, 2010, Pg. 1). This paper will
examine current information the medical field has on how MS affects
the immune system and the functioning of the central nervous system.
. It will also provide information on what symptoms are attached to this
disease, and what current treatments are available to treat Multiple
sclerosis. This disease is of special interest to me, because my mother
was diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis in 1999.
I remember her first symptom that convinced her to see a doctor
was a tingling feeling in her fingers. After an MRI of her brain, showed
plaques (discussed later), she was diagnosed with MS. Many people
experience this tingling feeling in the early stages of this disease.
People with Multiple sclerosis may also experience inability to walk,
blurred vision, dizziness, fatigue, and frequent urination depending on
which nerves are damaged. My mother has experienced many of these
other symptoms through her journey with Multiple sclerosis.
All of these symptoms can occur because ones T cells specific
for a protein on nerve cells attack these cells in their brain (Belk, Maier,
Human Biology, Ch. 16, pg. 410). The type of T cell involved in the
pathology of MS is CD4+ T cell. T cells play a major role in our bodies
immune system by actually attacking our body cells that have been
invaded by viruses, or that have mutated, such as cancer. However,
there is corruption of the bodys normal defense against pathogens, so

Multiple sclerosis

that it now attacks itself (Gray, 2013). The reason behind the body
attacking itself is still unknown to the medical field.
We do know that in MS
the T cells will attack the
protective sheath over neurons
that are referred to as the
myelin sheath. The myelin
sheaths function as a type of
insulation for the nerve
impulses, allowing the
electrochemical impulse to
increase speed down the axon. Therefore, damage will result in
scarring and inflammation, which are referred to as plaques. These
plaques will disturb the normal electrical signals that travel from the
brain to the body, resulting in symptoms, such as the ones mentioned
earlier in this paper.
Most people are first diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis between
the ages of 20-40. There is currently no answer to why certain people
will get MS. Most people with MS have short periods of symptoms
followed by long stretches of relative relief, with partial or full recovery
(NINDS, 2012). Treatment of multiple sclerosis comes in two forms,
either immunomodulatory therapy (IMT) for the underlying immune
disorder and therapies to relieve or modify symptoms, or Mitoxantrone

Multiple sclerosis

for the treatment of secondary (long-term) progressive and progressive

relapsing MS (Luzzio, Keegan, 2014). Luckily, my mother is currently in
a stage of relief, and I look forward to further research in this field.

Works Cited
Belk, C., Maier, V., (2013) Human Biology, 2nd edition, Ch. 16, pg. 410.
Fletcher, J., Lalor, S., Sweeney, C., Tubridy, N., & Mills, K. (2010). T cells
in multiple sclerosis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
Clinical & Experimental Immunology, 1-1.
Leila, G. (2013, January 10). Multiple sclerosis study reveals how killer
T cells learn to recognize nerve fiber insulators. Retrieved May 4, 2015,
from http://www.washington.edu/news/2013/01/10/multiple-sclerosisstudy-reveals-how-killer-t-cells-learn-to-recognize-nerve-fiberinsulators/
Luzzio, C., & Keegan, M. (2014, November 24). Multiple
Sclerosis Treatment & Management. Retrieved May 4, 2015, from
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1146199-treatment
"Multiple Sclerosis: Hope Through Research," NINDS. Publication date
June 2012. NIH Publication No. 12-75
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