Multiple Sclerosis - Symptoms, causes and treatment

s diseaseMultiple sclerosis or multiple sclerosis is a neurological disorder of the brain, eyes,, and spine. Multiple sclerosis will cause disturbance on sight and movement body.

When multiple sclerosis occurs, the body's immune system attacks the fatty layer that protects nerve fibers (myelin). This causes impaired communication between the brain and the rest of the body. If not treated promptly, multiple sclerosis can cause permanent nerve degeneration or damage.

Multiple sclerosis is more common in women than men. The severity of this disease varies and causes different effects on each sufferer.

Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis

Symptoms of multiple sclerosis can vary, depending on the location of the nerves affected. Multiple sclerosis can cause a range of motion and vision problems, as well as other symptoms.

Movement disorders

Multiple sclerosis can cause movement disorders such as:

• Weakness or numbness on a certain side of the body or in a leg.
• It's hard to walk.
• It's hard to keep balance.
• Sensations such as electric shock that occur due to certain neck movements, especially when the patient moves the neck forward (Lhermitte'ssign).
• Tremors or shaking.

Visual disturbance

Visual disturbances that can result from multiple sclerosis include:

• Partial or complete loss of vision. This is usually followed by pain when moving the eye.
• Double vision.
• The view becomes

In addition to movement disorders and visual disturbances, people with multiple sclerosis may also experience the following symptoms:

• Dizzy.
• Weak.
• It's hard to talk.
• Pain and tingling in various parts of the body.
• Disorders of the bladder, intestines, or sexual organs.

When to go to the doctor

A person needs to consult a doctor if experiencing symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Especially people who have had infections associated with multiple sclerosis, such as mononucleosis.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that can be prolonged. Regular consultation with a doctor is important to monitor disease progression and evaluate treatment.

People who have autoimmune disease, type 1 diabetes, thyroid disease, or inflammatory bowel disease are more at risk of developing multiple sclerosis. Therefore, patients with this disease need regular check-ups with a doctor to prevent the development of the disease and detect complications from the disease early.

Causes of Multiple Sclerosis

The exact cause of multiple sclerosis is not known, but it is suspected that the cause is autoimmune, in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues. The combination of genetic factors and environmental factors is also thought to increase the risk of multiple sclerosis, including:

• Women aged between 16-55 years.
• There is a family member who suffers from multiple sclerosis.
• Have or are suffering from mononucleosis, thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, and colitis.
• Lack of sun exposure and low levels of vitamin D in the body.
• Smoking habit.

Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis

The doctor will ask the patient's complaints and symptoms, trace the history of the disease suffered by the patient and his family, then perform a physical examination. After that, the doctor will perform additional examinations to confirm the diagnosis.

There is no specific test that can directly confirm that a person has multiple sclerosis. The diagnosis process is carried out to rule out other diseases that can cause symptoms similar to MS.

Supporting tests that can be done are:

• Blood test, done by taking a sample of the patient's blood to be examined in the laboratory.
• Lumbar puncture test, to take a sample of spinal fluid so that it can be analyzed in the lab.
• Evoked potential test, to record the electrical signals generated by the nervous system when responding to stimuli
• MRI, which is a scanning test used to look for abnormalities in the brain or spinal cord.

Multiple Sclerosis Treatment

Treatment aims to treat the symptoms of multiple sclerosis while preventing disease recurrence. Multiple sclerosis treatment varies, depending on the severity of the symptoms. Treatment includes:

Treatment for relieve symptoms multiple sclerosis

Some forms of treatment that can be given by doctors to relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) are:

• Drugs

  Doctors can give corticosteroid medications, such as prednisone and methylprednisolone, to reduce neuroinflammation caused by multiple sclerosis. In addition, to reduce muscle stiffness, doctors can give muscle relaxants, such as baclofen and tizanidine, as well as methylphenidate and antidepressant drugs to reduce fatigue.

• Physiotherapy

  Physical therapy and occupational therapy are performed to increase physical strength in patients with multiple sclerosis. This will make it easier for people with MS to live their daily lives.

• Plasmapheresis

  The doctor will remove the blood plasma in the patient's body, using a special tool. To replace the discarded plasma, the doctor will insert a special intravenous fluid, such as albumin.

Treatment for prevent disease recurrence multiple sclerosis

This treatment is used to treat recurrent multiple sclerosis. Doctors may give interferon beta injections to reduce the frequency and severity of multiple sclerosis recurrences.

In addition to giving beta interferon, there is another drug that can also be used to reduce the recurrence of multiple sclerosis, namely fingolimod. This medicine is taken once a day.

Some people with multiple sclerosis who experience only mild symptoms do not need special treatment. However, keep in mind that there is actually no cure for multiple sclerosis.

Multiple Sclerosis Complications

Multiple sclerosis can cause several complications, including:

• Depression
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Epilepsy
• Paralysis

Multiple Sclerosis Prevention

Research shows that the risk of multiple sclerosis can be reduced by eating foods rich in vitamin D. Talk to your doctor about this.

Also do regular health checks to the doctor to detect multiple sclerosis early. This is especially true if you have a family member who has multiple sclerosis, and has had or is currently suffering from mononucleosis, thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, or inflammatory bowel disease.

If you are a smoker, stop smoking. In addition to containing many toxic substances, smoking is also a risk factor for multiple sclerosis.