Alright, let’s get into today’s topic….today we are discussing MS.

Multiple Sclerosis or MS is an inflammatory disease that attacks the myelinated axons in the central nervous system. In other words, it is a disease that attacks the nerves in the body in variable degrees that eventually causes physical disability over time in more than 30% of MS patients. This decline generally occurs over 20-25 years. The hallmark of MS is symptomatic episodes that last at least 24hrs and happen months or years apart and affect different locations of the body.

Classic signs and symptoms usually last days to weeks:

• Early signs are usually Sensory loss (ie, paresthesias), fatigue (70%) and dizziness
• Muscle cramping caused by muscle spasms; progressive muscle weakness
• The patient may also experience Changes in your ability to control your Bladder, bowel, and have problems with sexual dysfunction
• Bilateral facial weakness or trigeminal neuralgia, and irregular twitching of the facial muscles
• Eye symptoms may include diplopia (double vision) on lateral gaze, 33% of patients with MS experience this.
• Heat intolerance
• Pain: Occurs in 30–50% of patients at some point in their illness
• Cognitively there may be changes in their attention span, concentration, memory, and judgment. Changes in speech. 
• Psychologically patients may experience depression, Bipolar disorder or dementia. Dementia may be a late finding but is sometimes found at initial diagnosis

Overall, MS really affects so many different parts of our body.

Diagnosis:

• MRI of the brain confirms and monitors disease progression (they are looking for lesions on the brain)
• If they are unable to confirm MS from an MRI they will test the patients cerebral spinal fluid
• Evoked potential- specific nerve pathways are electrically stimulated and the nerve activity is measured in certain parts of the brain and spinal cord. Treatment of MS can get complicated but it is best managed by a neurologist. 

Treatment: 

MS is treated with immunomodulatory therapy (IMT) for treatment of the underlying immune disorder. IMT may consist of steroids and plasma exchange for acute attacks. For those experiencing relapsing or recurrent attacks, they are treated with things like interferon, monoclonal antibodies, and other medications that are specific to the symptoms they may be experiencing. A Big point is that early intervention is key! Those that have started interferon treatment early have had decrease disability and lower relapse rates.

We hope you’ll tune in again with us in two weeks! Connect with us and our businesses on social media @bantucola, @intervalcaremed, @newliferehab, and @gracefulhandsrehab. If you are watching after our live session has ended you can still leave your question in the comments! If you have any suggestions on a healthcare topic you would like us to cover, send us a DM. In the meantime, cope away that stress and we hope everyone stays well until next time!

About The Medical Report Podcast
Medical professionals sharing their knowledge to keep the community informed. Join us as we talk about health disorders and social topics surrounding healthcare.