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Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease caused by the immune system accepting its own myelin structures as antigens and developing a defense reaction. As a result of the immune system attacking its own myelin layer, areas without myelin are formed in the brain and medulla spinalis (demyelinated). These areas are called plaques because of their appearance on cranial MRI. The disease usually follows with attacks, and plaques form during periods of attacks. Some of these plaques heal in the post-attack period, some of them shrink, and some of them continue to exist as a permanent scar in the brain. Repeated attacks or severe attacks in the same place can damage the axons under the myelin layer. Depending on the location of the plaques, very different symptoms may occur in the brain and nervous system. Symptoms may occur in all functional areas of the brain, such as visual impairment, balance impairment, speech impairment, loss of strength in the arms or legs, swallowing disorders, sexual dysfunction.
The disease is usually seen in teenagers and children. The probability of being seen after middle age is quite low. Genetic predisposition, low vitamin D, female gender, obesity in adolescence, living in northern Europe, excessive alcohol and caffeine use, some infectious diseases are considered to be factors that increase the risk of Ms. Neurological examination, cranial, cervical, dorsal MRI scans and blood tests are performed to diagnose the disease. In some patients, examination methods such as VEP and SEP or LP procedure, in which cerebrospinal fluid is removed from the waist and examined, may be required. It may be necessary to follow the patient and the disease for a while in order for the diagnosis of the disease to be made.
During the diagnosis of MS disease, its type is also determined. It is treated with a drug appropriate to the type of disease and the characteristics of the patient. During an attack, pulse therapy, immune system regulatory or immunosuppressive therapies are used to prevent attacks. With the MS treatments developed in recent years, the disease can be controlled better.
