YAMS
Youth Against Multiple Sclerosis

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What is Multiple Sclerosis?

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable and often debilitating disease that affects the central nervous system (the brain and the spinal cord).  It is not known what causes this disease, and to date, it cannot be prevented through any form of a cure.  The disease usually strikes people between the ages of 20 and 50, and it is estimated that 2.5 million people in the world have MS, approximately 250, 000 to 350,000 of them in the United States, 30,000 of which are children and teens.

MS results from the immune system mistakenly attacking a white fatty substance known as myelin, which coats nerve fibers in the central nervous system.  When myelin is attacked, it can cause a variety of neurological problems.  For example, if myelin is attacked in a nerve that carries messages between the muscles and the brain, the person affected may have trouble moving.  If myelin is attacked in a nerve that carries sensory images to the brain, a person may become blind.  The cause of this mistaken attack is unknown, but genetics, a virus, and a faulty immune system all seem to play a role in why a person could contract this disease.  Also, a genetic predisposition, such as a family member being affected, may increase a person’s chances of having MS.

Symptoms vary widely, yet may include weakness, tingling, numbness, fatigue, lack of coordination or balance, vision problems, tremors, slurred speech, and memory problems.  However, MS usually begins with a single minute symptom, such as slightly blurred vision.  Yet in time, it can progress into a debilitating disease, depriving people of their physical and mental abilities.  The most common form of MS is relapsing remitting, which causes symptoms to flare up for a few days, weeks, or months, and then go into a period of remission, during which very few if any symptoms are felt.  

Currently, there is no cure for MS.  However, there are drugs which are known to slow down the progression of the disease, or reduce the frequency of the attacks.  There are also drugs which may shorten the duration of an attack and treatments such as physical therapy and occupational therapy, which can improve a person’s quality of life.