World MS Day Errors About Multiple Sclerosis

With multiple sclerosis a normal life is possible

01/06/2013

Around 130,000 people in Germany suffer from multiple sclerosis. Most of those affected have a job and lead a normal life. Nevertheless, they struggle with numerous prejudices. The World MS Day is designed to draw attention to the disease and clear up prejudices.

Many unfounded biases in multiple sclerosis
On the occasion of this year's World MS Day, which took place last Wednesday, events and campaigns around the topic of multiple sclerosis (MS) take place worldwide. Among other things, sufferers, doctors and other professionals want to eliminate prejudices that many MS patients are often confronted with. „If, all of a sudden, we all want to make it possible for people with chronic illnesses to lead a largely normal life, without exclusion, without discrimination, then in a first step we must ensure that prejudices are eliminated. We want to contribute to this with our work.“, explained Dr. Eva Koch, Director of the MS projects of the non-profit Hertie Foundation, in a press release from the Foundation. The most common prejudices include sentences like „MS, that's muscle wastage“, „At this one dies“ or „Affected persons always sit in a wheelchair“. „MS says something to many people, but most of the time it's the wrong thing, "Koch told dpa-Themenendienst. „The truth is: MS is a serious chronic disease, but with a largely normal life and work is possible. "

According to the expert, only about 15 percent of those affected rely on a wheelchair. „The disease does not have to be obvious. That's why they call it the disease of the 1000 faces, "said Koch, saying that every course of the disease is different. „That's the treacherous. "

Multiple sclerosis at the beginning with nonspecific symptoms
MS is a neurological disease with a chronic course in which inflammation of the central nervous system develops at different sites in the brain and spinal cord. Inflammatory processes damage or even destroy the protective layer of nerve fibers called myelin. So far, the cause of MS could not be clarified despite intensive research.

The disease is characterized by different symptoms, some of which are very obscure and can only occur intermittently. Therefore, in many cases the diagnosis of MS is made very late. For example, neurological examinations, magnetic resonance imaging and analyzes of the nerve water are performed to determine the diagnosis. Most sufferers are between 20 and 40 years old and two thirds female. Although getting children is not a problem for the ill women, MS also discusses a hereditary component as a cause. But MS is not one of the classical hereditary diseases other than muscle wasting.

Sensations of the senses, tingling of hands and feet, blurred vision, numbness in the legs, paralysis, balance and strength disorders may be among the first signs of MS. But since these symptoms can also be based on another cause, they are not in themselves a clear indication of MS. Some sufferers also suffer from concentration problems and have cognitive impairments. Due to the progression of the disease, the motor function and fine motor skills will no longer function or only to a limited extent in many affected persons. The malfunctioning of the nerves can also cause other impairments and disabilities. Thus, malfunctioning of the bladder and the intestine occur in some cases.

Multiple sclerosis is in episodes of illness
MS usually occurs in disease relapses, which can be very different. Also, the severity and the frequency may vary greatly. Some MS patients would take medications on a permanent basis, others only if the symptoms occur, Koch explained. „The spectrum of the disease is very wide, the unpredictability too.“ While some sufferers suffered from numbness in their arms, others felt tingling in their legs. Many patients also have to deal with chronic fatigue as a side effect, making it difficult for them to concentrate for a long time. Therefore, some MS patients could not do any eight-hour work.

As Koch reported, in addition to the concern about the disease, especially the fear of stigmatization for those affected is very stressful. An MS diagnosis does not necessarily mean that the lives of those affected get out of joint and they are no longer resilient.

Gene may be responsible for multiple sclerosis
A particular gene variant could be a major contributor to the disease in patients with MS. An international team of scientists headed by Adam P. Gregory and Calliope A. Dendrou from the University of Oxford (UK), identified in their study the identification of a gene variant in which a blocking of the so-called tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha ) so that the typical inflammatory phenomena of MS occur.

The researchers discovered the gene variant in a genome-wide association study in which the DNA was initially analyzed by 379 Europeans. They found the first indications of a possible link between the gene variant and MS, as it has been detected particularly frequently in MS patients. Subsequently, the genetic material of 1,853 MS patients and 5,174 healthy volunteers of a control group was examined. This confirmed the initially only statistically observed relationship. The researchers published their findings in the journal „Nature“. (Ag)