Multiple Sclerosis

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Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis

Jason Garoutte November 18, 1996 English / Mr. Blunt

Multiple sclerosis is one of the most misunderstood diseases of this
century. Since it's discovery, there is still no known causes, no proven
treatments, and no known cure, yet it affects possibly five hundred thousand
people in the United States alone. People need to learn more about this disease
so it can be brought to the attention of the nation.
Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system. It destroys
the fatty myelin sheath that insulates your nerve cells. Without this
insulation, nerve communication is disrupted. The body then makes this worse by
repairing it, and clogging the area with scar tissue. Signals going from your
brain and brain stem, such as muscle coordination signals or visual sensation
signals, are slowed greatly, or just blocked off. Thus, a person afflicted with
Multiple Sclerosis can suffer any number of symptoms.
Researchers are not sure yet as to the cause of Multiple Sclerosis. There
is a kind of deadlock among scientists and doctors whether it's hereditary,
viral, or a combination of the two, with the disease being hereditary, but with
a viral trigger, or just a simple chemical imbalance in the immune system. One
thing is certain, though. Some sort of defect in the immune system causes white
blood cells to attack and destroy the myelin sheath.
There are five main types of Multiple Sclerosis. The first type is Benign
Multiple Sclerosis. It is the least severe, has little progression, and takes up
twenty percent of all cases. The second type is Benign Relapsing-Remitting
Multiple Sclerosis. It carries symptoms that fluctuate in severity, mild
disability, and it makes up thirty percent of the total. The third type is
Chronic Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis. It is characterized by disability that
increases with each attack, and it is the most common with forty percent of all
cases. Chronic Progressive Multiple Sclerosis is the fourth type. It has
continuous disability that worsens as time goes by, and ten percent of all cases
are this. The last type is a very rare class called Acute Progressive Multiple
Sclerosis. This kind can kill in weeks or months, in contrast with the usual
years or decades.
Due to the type of disease and the areas it affects, there are a great
number of possible symptoms. These symptoms can fool the most experienced
physician into thinking that it is a psychol

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