{"id":81662,"date":"2016-11-07T22:34:58","date_gmt":"2016-11-07T20:34:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/multiple-sclerosis-the-second-most-common-cause-of-neurological-disability-in-young-adults\/"},"modified":"2016-11-07T22:34:58","modified_gmt":"2016-11-07T20:34:58","slug":"multiple-sclerosis-the-second-most-common-cause-of-neurological-disability-in-young-adults","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/multiple-sclerosis-the-second-most-common-cause-of-neurological-disability-in-young-adults\/","title":{"rendered":"Multiple sclerosis: the second most common cause of neurological disability in young adults"},"content":{"rendered":"

Multiple sclerosis: the second most common cause of neurological disability in young adults<\/a>: <\/p>\n

In the past when people thought about multiple sclerosis (MS), they imagined someone in a wheelchair. Although this perception often remains, in reality it could not be further from the truth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can give a lecture to a hundred patients with multiple sclerosis\u201d, says Dr Dominic Giampaolo, a Johannesburg neurologist with a special interest in MS, \u201cand none of them will be in a wheelchair. With modern treatments, people with MS are living a normal life, with the longevity they would have enjoyed had they never developed the disease. The key, however, is awareness and early diagnosis so that treatment can be started as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herein lies the challenge. Because MS can manifest in so many different ways, the clinical picture can be confusing. \u201cMS is an autoimmune condition\u201d, says Dr Giampaolo, \u201cmeaning that a person\u2019s immune system attacks their own central nervous system. The immune cells destroy the fatty (myelin) sheath that surrounds and insulates the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, interrupting efficient communication between cells. Depending on where this occurs, the initial symptoms can be variable and seemingly unrelated. They include blurred or double vision; blindness; difficulties with co-ordination, balance and walking; spasticity; incontinence; cognitive problems and extreme tiredness. Symptoms may get worse with exercise, stress or heat.\u201d<\/p>\n

In most people with MS, especially early in the disease, symptoms come and go, getting better spontaneously within about 4 to 12 weeks. There are long periods in between these symptomatic episodes, sometimes months or even years, without development of new symptoms. This form of the disease, called \u2018relapsing remitting MS\u2019, occurs in about 90% of cases and responds extremely well to treatment. Without treatment, however, after some years the symptoms can become progressive and constant, and symptom-free periods disappear.1,2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1. p25a,b,c; 2. p430<\/sup><\/p>\n

In South Africa, the number of people with MS is unknown. However, it is estimated that there are 2.5 million people worldwide with the disease, most of whom are between the ages of 20 and 50. MS occurs more frequently in women than men, is most common among people of European ancestry, and is uncommon in people of African descent.1\u00a0 p24a<\/sup><\/p>\n

The cause is unknown. Although genetics may play a role, MS is not considered to be primarily a hereditary disease. Other factors that are thought to contribute, compounding the effects of genetics and of each other, include lack of exposure to sunlight, low levels of vitamin D, smoking, and previous viral infection, especially with Epstein Barr virus. Curiously, the timing of exposure to these risk factors appears to be critical. Migrants who emigrate before adolescence acquire a risk of MS comparable to other people in the region where they settle, whereas those who migrate in adulthood retain the risk associated with their home region.3\u00a0 p133<\/sup><\/p>\n

Because of the nonspecific symptoms interspersed by long periods of remission, it may take quite a long time before the diagnosis of MS is established. It is not uncommon for people to forget early symptoms once they get better, or to be misdiagnosed and treated for something else. \u201cWithout maintaining a high index of suspicion, it\u2019s quite a difficult diagnosis to make\u201d, says Dr Giampaolo. \u201cOne has to ask the right questions when seeing a person with new neurological impairments to jog their memory of past attacks. Thereafter, we would perform further diagnostic tests to objectively demonstrate lesions in the brain or spinal cord to confirm the diagnosis. The key is to seek medical advice as early as possible if you experience new, recurrent or worsening problems that worry you, especially where those symptoms affect your vision, or limit your activities or mobility.1\u00a0 p25d<\/sup> Insist on seeing a neurologist if you don\u2019t get a satisfactory explanation. MS is no longer something to be feared, but we need to catch it as early as possible, before the damage becomes irreversible.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information, visit the Multiple Sclerosis Society of South Africa on the below branch details:<\/p>\n

Multiple Sclerosis South Africa – Inland branch. Contact person: Collin Kudare. Tel: 011 477 3540. Email: sw1@mssainland.org.za or sw@mssainland.org.za
Website: www.mssainland.org.za
Facebook Page: Multiple Sclerosis SA-Inland & My MS Heroes
Twitter Page: MSSA Inland
Multiple Sclerosis South Africa – Western Cape branch
Contact person: Non Smit
24\/7 Support Line – 082 5505 486
Email: info@multiplesclerosis.co.za
www.multiplesclerosis.co.za
https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/msgroupsa\/<\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Browning V, Joseph M, Sedrack M. Multiple sclerosis: A comprehensive review for the physician assistant. JAAPA<\/em> 2012; 25(8): 24-29.<\/li>\n
  2. Mohammed K, Koriem M. Multiple sclerosis: New insights and trends. Asian Pacific J Trop Med<\/em> 2016; 6(5): 429-440.<\/li>\n
  3. Kamm CP, Uitdehaag BM, Polman CH. Multiple sclerosis: Current knowledge and future outlook. Eur Neurol<\/em> 2014; 72:132-141.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za.<\/p>\n

    Read the full article by Guest PR here:<\/strong> Johannesburg \u2013 MyPR<\/p>\n

    Submit and get free press releases here:<\/strong> MyPR Free Press Release.<\/p>\n

    Source:<\/strong> MyJHB<\/a><\/small>
    \n<\/p>\n

    Read more on MyJHB<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Join the fun:<\/strong> Add Your event<\/a> | Submit a Press Release<\/a> | Add your listing<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Multiple sclerosis: the second most common cause of neurological disability in young adults: In the past when people thought about multiple sclerosis (MS), they imagined someone in a wheelchair. Although this perception often remains, in reality it could not be further from the truth. \u201cI can give a lecture to a hundred patients with multiple […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3332],"tags":[1961,4179,8698,21355,3936,9796,21537,21536,3651,3933],"class_list":{"0":"post-81662","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-johannesburg-south-africa","7":"tag-adults","8":"tag-cause","9":"tag-common","10":"tag-disability","11":"tag-most","12":"tag-multiple","13":"tag-neurological","14":"tag-sclerosis","15":"tag-second","16":"tag-young","17":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81662\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}