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Works Cited "Multiple Sclerosis." PubMed Health. U. S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. In-text Citation: (“Multiple Sclerosis”) OR (PubMed Health) if you have multiple sources with the same name Multiple Sclerosis A disorder of the central nervous system marked by weakness, numbness, a loss of muscle coordination, and problems with vision, speech, and bladder control. Multiple sclerosis is thought to be an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system destroys myelin. About Multiple Sclerosis An unpredictable disease of the central nervous system, multiple sclerosis (MS) can range from relatively benign to somewhat disabling to devastating, as communication between the brain and other parts of the body is disrupted. Many investigators believe MS to be an autoimmune disease - one in which the body, through its immune system, launches a defensive attack against its own tissues. In the case of MS, it is the nerve-insulating myelin that comes under assault. Such assaults may be linked to an unknown environmental trigger, perhaps a virus. Most people experience their first symptoms of MS between the ages of 20 and 40; the initial symptom of MS is often blurred or double vision, red-green color distortion, or even blindness in one eye. Most MS patients experience muscle weakness in their extremities and difficulty with coordination and balance. These symptoms may be severe enough to impair walking or even standing. About Signs and Symptoms of MS The first symptoms of MS often include: ● ● ● ● ● ● vision problems such as blurred or double vision or optic neuritis, which causes pain in the eye and a rapid loss of vision weak, stiff muscles, often with painful muscle spasms tingling or numbness in the arms, legs, trunk of the body, or face clumsiness, particularly difficulty staying balanced when walking bladder control problems, either inability to control the bladder or urgency dizziness that doesn't go away MS may also cause later symptoms such as: ● ● ● ● mental or physical fatigue which accompanies the above symptoms during an attack mood changes such as depression or euphoria changes in the ability to concentrate or to multitask effectively difficulty making decisions, planning, or prioritizing at work or in private life About MS Treatments There is still no cure for MS, but there are treatments for initial attacks, medications and therapies to improve symptoms, and recently developed drugs to slow the worsening of the disease. These new drugs have been shown to reduce the number and severity of relapses and to delay the long term progression of MS. Treatment for attacks The usual treatment for an initial MS attack is to inject high doses of a steroid drug, such as methylprednisolone, intravenously (into a vein) over the course of 3 to 5 days. It may sometimes be followed by a tapered dose of oral steroids. Intravenous steroids quickly and potently suppress the immune system, and reduce inflammation.Clinical trials have shown that these drugs hasten recovery. The American Academy of Neurology recommends using plasma exchange as a secondary treatment for severe flare-ups in relapsing forms of MS when the patient does not have a good response to methylprednisolone. Plasma exchange, also known as plasmapheresis, involves taking blood out of the body and removing components in the blood's plasma that are thought to be harmful. The rest of the blood, plus replacement plasma, is then transfused back into the body. This treatment has not been shown to be effective for secondary progressive or chronic progressive forms of MS. Treatments to help reduce disease activity and progression During the past 20 years, researchers have made major breakthroughs in MS treatment due to new knowledge about the immune system and the ability to use MRI to monitor MS in patients. As a result, a number of medical therapies have been found to reduce relapses in persons with relapsing-remitting MS. These drugs are called disease modulating drugs.... About the Myelin Sheath http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0024311/