National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Education and Awareness Month

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National MS Education and Awareness Month is an effort by the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (MSF) to raise the public's awareness of multiple sclerosis. The vital goals of this campaign are to promote an understanding of the scope of this disease, and to assist those with MS in making educated decisions about their healthcare.

MS is an autoimmune disease, whereby the body's immune system, which normally works to destroy substances foreign to the body such as bacteria, mistakenly attacks normal tissues. In MS, the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system).

Researchers believe that MS may be inherited (passed on from parents to children). Siblings of an affected person have a 2%-5% risk of developing MS. Some scientists theorize that MS develops because a person is born with a genetic predisposition to react to some environmental agent, which, upon exposure, triggers an autoimmune response.

The onset of MS may be dramatic or so mild that a person doesn't even notice any symptoms. The most common early symptoms of MS include:

• Tingling
• Numbness
• Loss of balance
• Weakness in one or more limbs
• Blurred or double vision

As the disease progresses, other symptoms may include heat sensitivity, fatigue, changes in thinking or perception, and sexual disturbances.

There is not a cure for MS, but there are many drugs that may slow down the progression of the disease. There are also many treatments available that can help a person with MS manage their symptoms and live a productive and fulfilling life.

For more information see the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (MSF) website: http://www.msfocus.org.