Anybody Knowing Multiple Sclerosis...

[drshafqat]

Bismillah,
Assalamu Alaikum,

anybody knowing the disease Multiple Sclerosis and its treatment by any way?

:w:

[Khayal]

:sl:

Brother, I got this off the net :-\

About MS What is MS, and how does it affect the body?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that damages the myelin sheath, or insulating material, that surrounds the nerve fibers in the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.

The myelin is lost in multiple areas, leaving plaques or scars called scleroses (which is where the name “Multiple Sclerosis” comes from). This damage or loss of myelin can prevent nerve signals from being conducted, or can cause those signals to be conducted too slowly.
Multiple sclerosis is characterized by attacks – “flare-ups” or exacerbations – which may be associated with plaques that prevent conduction of nerve impulses in the CNS. A period of exacerbation is also known as a relapse.
By using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), your neurologist can track the effect drug therapy has on the development, or lack of, new lesions.
How MS affects people over time
No two cases of multiple sclerosis are alike.
While many people living with MS are affected with some level of disability, this is not true of everyone ... and among those who do have a level of disability, this level varies greatly.
Studies have shown that a majority of persons living with MS lead fairly normal lives. MS symptoms may fluctuate, and they may progress in severity. And many people have periods of no apparent symptoms that may last many years, but lesions can still be forming in the CNS undetected.
Because MS can vary so widely from one person to another, no predictions of the outcome for any individual can be made. Statistically, however, a person with MS today has good reason for optimism – especially with early treatment to minimize the number of attacks.
Who gets MS?
Multiple sclerosis is generally diagnosed in individuals between the ages of 20 and 40. Women develop MS at a rate of two to three times that of men. In the United States, the disease is more common among Caucasians, especially those of northern European ancestry. MS occurs most frequently in “temperate zones” of neither extreme heat nor cold.
In the United States, it is estimated that approximately 350,000 people are living with multiple sclerosis, and nearly 200 cases are diagnosed every week.
More information about MS
This site contains many additional articles and resources to help you learn more about MS. Click the links below to find out more about:

• MS and the Nervous System
• The Importance of Therapy
• Questions to Ask Your Doctor

In addition to these helpful resources, be sure to visit MS University® to find more information, test your knowledge, and earn points redeemable for great merchandise.



:w:

[HeiGou]

anybody knowing the disease Multiple Sclerosis and its treatment by any way?

MS is a terrible disease so my sympathies to anyone who suffers from it or has a family member who does.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. MS can cause a variety of symptoms, including changes in sensation, visual problems, muscle weakness, depression, and difficulties with coordination and speech. Although many patients lead full and rewarding lives, MS can cause impaired mobility and disability in the more severe cases.

Multiple sclerosis affects neurons, the cells of the brain and spinal cord that carry information, create thought and perception and allow the brain to control the body. Surrounding and protecting these neurons is a fatty layer known as the myelin sheath, which helps neurons carry electrical signals. MS causes gradual destruction of myelin (demyelination) and transection of neuron axons in patches throughout the brain and spinal cord, causing various symptoms depending upon which signals are interrupted. The name multiple sclerosis refers to the multiple scars (or scleroses) on the myelin sheaths. It is thought that MS results from attacks by an individual's immune system on the nervous system and is therefore categorized as an autoimmune disease.

Multiple sclerosis may take several different forms, with new symptoms occurring in discrete attacks or slowly accruing over time. Between attacks, symptoms may resolve completely, but permanent neurologic problems often persist. Although much is known about how MS causes damage, its exact cause remains unknown. MS currently does not have a cure, though several treatments are available which may slow the appearance of new symptoms. MS primarily affects adults, with an age of onset typically between 20 and 40 years, and is more common in women than in men.[1][2]

There has been news in the newspapers this week about trials of a new vaccine against MS which looks promising. I think the recent New Scientist has an article on it. In fact it does

Vaccine could stop MS in its tracks

* 09 March 2006
* From New Scientist Print Edition
* Andy Coghlan

Printable version Email to a friend RSS Feed


THE immune cells that attack the brains and nerves of people with multiple sclerosis could be turned into a weapon against the disease.

This month sees the beginning of a trial of a personalised vaccine for MS, designed to rein in and destroy the renegade white blood cells that attack myelin cells lining the brain and nerves of patients.

To make the vaccine, PharmaFrontiers of Woodlands, Texas, takes blood from an MS patient and extracts a sample of these renegade cells. The cells are then multiplied and weakened with radiation before being re-injected into the patient, whose immune system will then recognise them as damaged and attack them, sometimes wiping them out completely, according to the results of earlier trials. The immune system will also attack healthy renegade cells, which have the same markers on their surface. In one trial of 15 people with MS the rate of new flare-ups was reduced by 92 per cent.

If this success is repeated in the new trial it might mean that regular shots could slow or even arrest progression of the disease. "If that's the case, the earlier we can do it after diagnosis the better," says David McWilliams of PharmaFrontiers. In the current trial, 100 patients will receive the treatment and 50 a dummy treatment. The vaccine would only need to be injected four times a year, while other MS drugs need to be given on a weekly or daily basis.

However, since all previous attempts to develop a vaccine for MS have failed, Richard Ru**** of the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research in Cleveland, Ohio, is cautious about its prospects. "None have worked so far. This one may, but we don't yet know."

In the meantime, good news may await MS patients in the US. This week the US Food and Drug Administration is expected to lift its ban on prescribing Tysabri following new evidence on its safety and effectiveness. Tysabri, which is twice as effective at quelling symptoms as any other MS drug available, was pulled a year ago after three people taking it died from rare brain infections.

The superiority of Tysabri over existing, beta-interferon treatments was shown by three separate studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine last week (vol 354, p 899, p 911 and p 924). "With interferons, we've normally seen roughly a one-third reduction in the relapse rate," says Ru****, who led one of the studies. "With Tysabri, we saw more than a two-thirds reduction."
From issue 2542 of New Scientist magazine, 09 March 2006, page 12

[drshafqat]

MS is a terrible disease so my sympathies to anyone who suffers from it or has a family member who does.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. MS can cause a variety of symptoms, including changes in sensation, visual problems, muscle weakness, depression, and difficulties with coordination and speech. Although many patients lead full and rewarding lives, MS can cause impaired mobility and disability in the more severe cases.

Multiple sclerosis affects neurons, the cells of the brain and spinal cord that carry information, create thought and perception and allow the brain to control the body. Surrounding and protecting these neurons is a fatty layer known as the myelin sheath, which helps neurons carry electrical signals. MS causes gradual destruction of myelin (demyelination) and transection of neuron axons in patches throughout the brain and spinal cord, causing various symptoms depending upon which signals are interrupted. The name multiple sclerosis refers to the multiple scars (or scleroses) on the myelin sheaths. It is thought that MS results from attacks by an individual's immune system on the nervous system and is therefore categorized as an autoimmune disease.

Multiple sclerosis may take several different forms, with new symptoms occurring in discrete attacks or slowly accruing over time. Between attacks, symptoms may resolve completely, but permanent neurologic problems often persist. Although much is known about how MS causes damage, its exact cause remains unknown. MS currently does not have a cure, though several treatments are available which may slow the appearance of new symptoms. MS primarily affects adults, with an age of onset typically between 20 and 40 years, and is more common in women than in men.[1][2]

There has been news in the newspapers this week about trials of a new vaccine against MS which looks promising. I think the recent New Scientist has an article on it. In fact it does

Vaccine could stop MS in its tracks

* 09 March 2006
* From New Scientist Print Edition
* Andy Coghlan

Printable version Email to a friend RSS Feed


THE immune cells that attack the brains and nerves of people with multiple sclerosis could be turned into a weapon against the disease.

This month sees the beginning of a trial of a personalised vaccine for MS, designed to rein in and destroy the renegade white blood cells that attack myelin cells lining the brain and nerves of patients.

To make the vaccine, PharmaFrontiers of Woodlands, Texas, takes blood from an MS patient and extracts a sample of these renegade cells. The cells are then multiplied and weakened with radiation before being re-injected into the patient, whose immune system will then recognise them as damaged and attack them, sometimes wiping them out completely, according to the results of earlier trials. The immune system will also attack healthy renegade cells, which have the same markers on their surface. In one trial of 15 people with MS the rate of new flare-ups was reduced by 92 per cent.

If this success is repeated in the new trial it might mean that regular shots could slow or even arrest progression of the disease. "If that's the case, the earlier we can do it after diagnosis the better," says David McWilliams of PharmaFrontiers. In the current trial, 100 patients will receive the treatment and 50 a dummy treatment. The vaccine would only need to be injected four times a year, while other MS drugs need to be given on a weekly or daily basis.

However, since all previous attempts to develop a vaccine for MS have failed, Richard Ru**** of the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research in Cleveland, Ohio, is cautious about its prospects. "None have worked so far. This one may, but we don't yet know."

In the meantime, good news may await MS patients in the US. This week the US Food and Drug Administration is expected to lift its ban on prescribing Tysabri following new evidence on its safety and effectiveness. Tysabri, which is twice as effective at quelling symptoms as any other MS drug available, was pulled a year ago after three people taking it died from rare brain infections.

The superiority of Tysabri over existing, beta-interferon treatments was shown by three separate studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine last week (vol 354, p 899, p 911 and p 924). "With interferons, we've normally seen roughly a one-third reduction in the relapse rate," says Ru****, who led one of the studies. "With Tysabri, we saw more than a two-thirds reduction."
From issue 2542 of New Scientist magazine, 09 March 2006, page 12

Thanks a lot for your information....Jazak Allah

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[drshafqat]

:sl:

Brother, I got this off the net :-\

About MS What is MS, and how does it affect the body?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that damages the myelin sheath, or insulating material, that surrounds the nerve fibers in the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.

The myelin is lost in multiple areas, leaving plaques or scars called scleroses (which is where the name “Multiple Sclerosis” comes from). This damage or loss of myelin can prevent nerve signals from being conducted, or can cause those signals to be conducted too slowly.
Multiple sclerosis is characterized by attacks – “flare-ups” or exacerbations – which may be associated with plaques that prevent conduction of nerve impulses in the CNS. A period of exacerbation is also known as a relapse.
By using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), your neurologist can track the effect drug therapy has on the development, or lack of, new lesions.
How MS affects people over time
No two cases of multiple sclerosis are alike.
While many people living with MS are affected with some level of disability, this is not true of everyone ... and among those who do have a level of disability, this level varies greatly.
Studies have shown that a majority of persons living with MS lead fairly normal lives. MS symptoms may fluctuate, and they may progress in severity. And many people have periods of no apparent symptoms that may last many years, but lesions can still be forming in the CNS undetected.
Because MS can vary so widely from one person to another, no predictions of the outcome for any individual can be made. Statistically, however, a person with MS today has good reason for optimism – especially with early treatment to minimize the number of attacks.
Who gets MS?
Multiple sclerosis is generally diagnosed in individuals between the ages of 20 and 40. Women develop MS at a rate of two to three times that of men. In the United States, the disease is more common among Caucasians, especially those of northern European ancestry. MS occurs most frequently in “temperate zones” of neither extreme heat nor cold.
In the United States, it is estimated that approximately 350,000 people are living with multiple sclerosis, and nearly 200 cases are diagnosed every week.
More information about MS
This site contains many additional articles and resources to help you learn more about MS. Click the links below to find out more about:

• MS and the Nervous System
• The Importance of Therapy
• Questions to Ask Your Doctor

In addition to these helpful resources, be sure to visit MS University® to find more information, test your knowledge, and earn points redeemable for great merchandise.



:w:

:sl:

Jazak Allah for you reply!

:w:

[Isra]

My grandmother has had it since before I was born. She benifited from bee stings. Everyother day she would get stung by 5 or 6 bees on different parts of her body. Her back, her legs, her arms or her stomach.

She also takes a Beta-Seron injection every 2 days.

It's a terrible disease. Really no cure.

[drshafqat]

My grandmother has had it since before I was born. She benifited from bee stings. Everyother day she would get stung by 5 or 6 bees on different parts of her body. Her back, her legs, her arms or her stomach.

She also takes a Beta-Seron injection every 2 days.

It's a terrible disease. Really no cure.

Jazak Allah for your reply!!

[drshafqat]

Jazak Allah for your reply!!

Allah's Apostle Said like; no dsease is there n the world for which Alighty Allah Hasn't Sent a cure! I believe in that...