The Diagnosis and Management of Multiple Sclerosis (Essay Sample)

The Diagnosis and Management of Multiple Sclerosis Name Affiliation Course Instructor Date The Diagnosis and Management of Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis is among the prevalent autoimmune diseases affecting human beings. It is among autoimmune diseases where the immune system initiates a defense mechanism against a healthy cell, just like it would against a pathogen. It is a neurogenerative and inflammatory disease affecting the nervous system. In turn, it compromises the patients’ physiology and, in extreme cases, alters an individual's lifestyle. The disease affects numerous people regardless of social status or gender and mainly occurs among young adults. Due to its effect on individuals, much research has been put in place not only to diagnose it. These efforts aim to comprehend its pathophysiological, epidemiology, and adverse effects and develop disease management measures to improve the patient's lifestyle. The nervous system is an advanced networking system connecting the brain and the rest of the body. The nerves facilitate the involuntary and voluntary actions of the body by transmitting information from a reception point to the brain. The brain then processes the information and responds reciprocatively (Tafti, 2022). Multiple sclerosis is characterized by the inflammation of the myelin sheath due to the immune system attacking the nervous system, resulting in the neurogenerative condition of the central nervous system (McGinley et al., 2021). In turn, there is a communication impairment between the brain and the rest of the body due to nerve bundle damage, which affects the involuntary and voluntary actions facilitated by a healthy nervous system. Classified as an autoimmune disease, continuous research has yet to identify its causative factors. However, there are characteristics about its epidemiology that stand out. It affects individuals globally, with a higher prevalence rate of about 50% (McGinley et al., 2021). Its occurrence is observed to be 2 or 3 times higher in women than men. The disease is mainly observed to manifest among young adults when individuals are highly productive in building careers. However, some factors can make an individual predisposed to becoming a victim of Multiple Sclerosis. These include Family history, which is a case of an individual already suffering from the disease, Obesity, smoking, and a medical history associated with infectious mononucleosis (Tafti, 2022). Therefore, it is evident that the disease can present itself in any individual without transmission. Despite having no known cause, it presents itself with peculiar characteristics that affect an individual and lead to life-long effects in extreme cases. As the disease mainly affects the nervous system, the swelling of the nerve bundles leads to lesions and eventually to a patient experiencing pain. The pain may transition to chronic and erratic levels (Racke et al., 2022). As the nerves transmit involuntary and voluntary signals, Multiple sclerosis alters a patient’s everyday life. For instance, as the nerves in the Central Nervous system take damage, it may lead to vision impairment. The gait and coordination of a patient are adversely affected as there is an irregularity in signal transmission, muscle stiffness, and spasms. In severe cases, it affects the emotions and homeostatic functions (Tafti, 2022). The nervous system is responsible for transmitting internal and external stimuli that facilitate homeostasis. The internal stimuli depend on detecting chemical signals initiated by the endocrine system. Therefore, the chronic degree of Multiple Sclerosis leads to an adverse change in the life of a patient, including permanent disability. The disease has an array of symptoms. However, pain is usually associated with the region of the nervous system affected—the insufficient knowledge of the cause of the disease results in the development of its management measures. The management plan solely relies on the degree to which Multiple sclerosis affects the individual. To correctly identify the affected area, professionals consider the signs and symptoms, lab test results, and the application of radiographic imaging. As the disease is primarily associated with the immune system attacking the healthy cells of the myelin sheath, therapeutic manipulation is applied to reverse the pathogenic behavior of immune cells (Racke et al., 2022). However, there are cases of relapsing after attempts to manage the disease, hence the nee...