Multiple sclerosis: everything you need to know about the chronic nervous system disease
Multiple sclerosis or multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease of the nervous system.
Although it usually affects young people between 20 and 40 years of age, it is not unlikely that it can also occur in children or even older people.
Its etiology remains unknown, but there are indications that the onset of the disease may be related to the infectious mononucleosis virus, smoking and low levels of vitamin D.
Most patients with multiple sclerosis follow a relapsing course with exacerbations and remissions of the symptoms of the disease, while more rarely around 10% of patients follow a course of progressive deterioration, which we call the primary progressive form.
The manifestations of the disease depend on the areas of the brain and spinal cord that may be affected and include, among others, visual disturbances, loss of muscle strength in one or more limbs, numbness, unsteadiness in walking and urination disorders. Multiple sclerosis rarely threatens the lives of patients. However, if it is not treated promptly and correctly, it leads to disability and can significantly affect the quality of life of patients.
The diagnosis of the disease is based on the manifestations of the disease, the findings of the MRI of the brain and spinal cord and some other laboratory tests.
Multiple sclerosis is not considered a curable disease with the logic that one can get rid of it once and for all with some treatment. However, thanks to the progress of medicine, we better understand the mechanisms of the disease and the available treatments are constantly increasing, as a result of which the disease is now considered effectively treatable.
The wide variety of manifestations of the disease often requires multifaceted treatment by a team of specialists that may include, in addition to the neurologist with specialization and experience in the specific condition, an ophthalmologist, neuroimaging specialist, urologist, physiatrist, psychiatrist, neuropsychologist, physiotherapist and other health professionals.
At P. Faliros Medical Center, with the assistance of our excellent collaborators of all the necessary specialties and with our new magnetic resonance imaging scanner, we have been providing innovative high-quality services for the last ten years, aiming at timely and accurate diagnosis and more effective treatment of multiple sclerosis.
