What Genetics are Associated with Multiple Sclerosis?

Discussion Multiple sclerosis (MS) is “a chronic degenerative, often episodic disease of the central nervous system marked by patchy destruction of the myelin that surrounds and insulates nerve fibers, usually appearing in young adulthood and manifested by one or more mild to severe neural and muscular impairments, as spastic weakness in one or more limbs, local sensory losses, bladder dysfunction, or visual disturbances.” It is a chronic disease and therefore symptoms must occur more than once. The first episode is called an acute demyelinating attack. Fifteen to forty-five percent of children with their first attack will go on to have others and therefore later be diagnosed with MS. Because pediatric patients have high relapse rates, diagnosis often is within a year of the initial clinical event. Historically the diagnosis required multiple attacks or evidence of new MRI lesions in different parts of the CNS. The 2010 revised MacDonald criteria can be used to diagnose MS with the first attack if specific criteria are met. The keys to the diagnosis of MS are that there needs to be evidence of inflammatory disease that is occurring in multiple CNS brain regions and overtime is disseminated. “About 2-10% of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) will have their first symptom before the age of 18 years. The majority of children presenting with the acute demyelination of the central nervous system manifest with acute visual loss (optic neuritis), limb weakness a...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news