MS Corner

The words Multiple Sclerosis actually means many (multiple) scars (sclerosis). It is a chronic disease that is often disabling. MS is not a fatal disease. Most people with MS live productive lives and learn to cope with their symptoms and limitations.

Although the exact cause of MS is not known, current medical opinion believes the cause is an abnormal response of the body’s immune system. The immune system usually protects the body from viruses and bacteria but in this instance the body’s immune system attacks itself. This is called an autoimmune disease (your body’s immune system mistakes its own tissues and mounts an inappropriate attack, resulting in disease). This

Myelin is a rich layer of special fatty substances around each nerve fiber (axon) that protects and insulates. A good way to describe each nerve is similar to an electric wire that transmits nerve impulses through it. The insulation around the wire is similar to the myelin sheath around the nerve axons. When the nerve loses that insulation, the nerve is unable to work the same way it did BEFORE it lost the insulation. When the insulation (myelin) repairs, it is (scarred) and the ability of the nerve to conduct impulses to the rest of the body is altered.

Resources
Colorado Chapter-National MS Society National Multiple Sclerosis Society	Rocky Mountain MS Center