Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

17 Pages 4209 Words

dults who have a virtually normal life expectancy. Consequently, the economic, social, and medical costs associated with the disease are significant. Estimates place the annual costs of MS in the United States in excess of $2.5 billion. (Melvin) No one knows exactly how many people have MS. It is believed that, currently, there are approximately 250,000 to 350,000 people in the United States with MS diagnosed by a physician. (Boyden) This estimate suggests that approximately 200 new cases are diagnosed each week. Also, MS is the most common nerve disease to develop in young persons after birth, and it affects over 1 million young adults worldwide. “Close relatives of a person with MS are 8 times more likely than average to develop the disease themselves, and children of a person with MS run 30 to 50 times the average risk.” (Waxman) Most people experience their first symptoms of MS between the ages of 20 and 40, but a diagnosis is often delayed. This is due to both the transitory nature of the disease and the lack of a specific diagnostic test--specific symptoms and changes in the brain must develop before the diagnosis is confirmed. (Health Central) Although scientists have documented cases of MS in young children and elderly adults, symptoms rarely begin before age 15 or after age 60. Whites are more than twice as likely as other races to develop MS. In general, women are affected at almost twice the rate of men; however, among patients who develop the symptoms of MS at a later age, the gender ratio is more balanced. (Waxman) To understand what is happening when a person has MS, it is first necessary to know a little about how the healthy immune system works. The immune system -- a complex network of specialized cells and organs -- defends the body against attacks by "foreign" invaders such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. It does this by seeking out and destroying the interlopers as they enter the body. Substances capa...