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32 What Is Multiple Sclerosis - MS?
What Is have any physical examination findings
consistent with MS? Next, is the MRI of
MULTIPLE
your brain or spine consistent with MS?
SCLEROSIS? Now here it's important to note that 95
percent of people over the age of 40 have
an abnormal brain MRI, just the same as
by Dr. Oliver Tobin, MD many of us have wrinkles on our skin.
Lastly, are the results of the spinal fluid
I'm Dr. Oliver Tobin, a neurologist analysis consistent with MS? Your doctor
specializing in multiple sclerosis at Mayo may recommend blood tests to check for
Clinic. In this video, we'll be covering the other diseases that share the same
basics of multiple sclerosis. What is it? symptoms. They may also recommend an
Who gets it? The symptoms, diagnosis, OCT test or optical coherence
and treatment. Whether you're looking tomography. This is a short scan of the
for answers about your own health or that thickness of the layers at the back of your
of someone you love, we're here to disease and a faster onset of progression. eye.
provide you with the best information People who have MS and who smoke
available. Multiple sclerosis is a disorder tend to have more relapses, worse
in which the body's immune system progressive disease, and worse cognitive DEBUNKED: Saturn’s Moon
attacks the protective covering of the symptoms. Women are up to three times Iapetus Is An Alien Death Star.
nerve cells in the brain, optic nerve and as likely as men to have relapsing-
spinal cord, called the myelin sheath. And remitting MS. The risk for MS in the
this sheath is often compared to the general population is about 0.5%. If a
insulation on an electrical wire. When parent or sibling has MS, your risk is
that covering is damaged, it exposes the about twice that or about 1%. Certain
actual nerve fiber, which can slow or infections are also important. A variety of
block the signals being transmitted within viruses have been linked to MS,
it. The nerve fibers themselves might also including Epstein-Barr virus, which
be damaged. The body can repair damage causes mono. Northern and southern
to the myelin sheath, but it's not perfect. latitudes have a higher prevalence,
The resulting damage leaves lesions or including Canada, the northern US, New
scars, and this is where the name comes Zealand, southeastern Australia, and
from: multiple sclerosis, multiple scars. Europe. White people, especially of
Now everyone loses brain cells and northern European descent, are at the
spinal cord cells as they get older. But if highest risk. People of Asian, African,
part of the brain or spinal cord has been and Native American ancestry have the
damaged by MS, the nerve cells in that lowest risk. A slightly increased risk is Iapetus is a moon of Saturn that looks
area will die off faster than the areas seen if a patient already has autoimmune somewhat like the infamous Death Star in
around it that are normal. This happens thyroid disease, pernicious anemia, the "Star Wars" franchise, with a large
very slowly, usually over decades and psoriasis, type 1 diabetes, or crater that resembles the fictional weapon's
typically shows up as gradual walking inflammatory bowel disease. superlaser focus lens. The Death Star is a
difficulty happening over several years. planet-killing machine that destroys entire
worlds with its outrageously powerful laser.
When you read about multiple sclerosis, Symptoms of a relapse usually come on
you may hear about different types -- the over 24 to 48 hours, last for a few days to It was prominently featured in the 2016
movie "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," as
most frequent being relapsing-remitting a few weeks and then improve in the well as in 1977's "Star Wars: Episode IV - A
multiple sclerosis. And this is region of 80 to a 100 percent. Those New Hope."
characterized by attacks, or relapses. symptoms include loss of vision in an
eye, loss of power in an arm or leg or a A Daily Mail article published in May 2016
We don't know what causes MS, but there rising sense of numbness in the legs. claimed Iapetus is an artificial object
are certain factors that may increase the Other common symptoms associated crafted by aliens (opens in new tab). As
risk or trigger its onset. So while MS can with MS include spasms, fatigue, "evidence," the article cited a photo taken
occur at any age, it mostly makes its first depression, incontinence issues, sexual by NASA's Cassini spacecraft in 2004. In
the photo, there's a line around the moon's
appearance in people between the ages of dysfunction, and walking difficulties. equator that resembles the equatorial trench
20 and 40. Low levels of vitamin D and around the Death Star. But this line isn't
low exposure to sunlight, which enables There's currently no single test to make a nearly as interesting as the Death Star's
our body to make vitamin D, are diagnosis of MS. However, there are four trench, which houses the battle station's
associated with an increased risk of key features which help to secure the engines, thrusters and docking bays. That
developing MS. As people who have MS diagnosis. Firstly, are there typical line is nothing more than a mountain ridge,
who have low vitamin D tend to have symptoms of multiple sclerosis? Again, and Iapetus is actually just made up of
more severe disease. So people who are those are loss of vision in an eye, loss of boring old rock and ice. Cassini has flown
overweight are more likely to develop power in an arm or leg, or sensory by the moon to take pictures several times
without being blasted by deadly alien
MS and people who have MS and are disturbance in an arm or leg lasting for lasers.
overweight tend to have more severe more than 24 hours. Secondly, do you
