Multiple Sclerosis (or MS, or disseminated sclerosis) is a condition of an autoimmune illness of CNS. The term ‘an autoimmune illness’ means the disease when the cells of immune system of the body attack the nervous system. When a person becomes ill with MS, the nerve tissue becomes inflamed and looses a very important materiel – myelin. It is responsible for the protection of nerve fibers in the spinal cord and the brain. This process of myelin loss is called demyelination and it leads to the condition when a lot of scar tissue along the covering of the nerve cells is left. This is fraught with disability of nerves when they become unable to conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain.

Unfortunately, why the condition develops and what causes it is not know for sure. Some theories assume that the environmental factor can be somehow involved. The wrong response of the immune system can also be considered a cause. Other theories include a virus-type organism that influences the system and triggers the illness or an abnormality of the genes that are in charge with the immune system control; some presuppositions combine both.

This is a not very frequent and wide-spread illness: it affects 1 out of 1,000 people, mostly women. It generally starts to develop in the period between 20 and 40 but not necessarily. People with a family history of this illness and those living in high-risk geographical regions are more susceptible to it.

The symptoms mostly depend on the extent and the type of nerves affected. Myelin is known to reform gradually and therefore the disease can have effusive episodes, which can last for days and even months, and periods of remission.

In the range of multiple sclerosis symptoms there can be differentiated physical and mental ones.

In the physical aspect a person feels numbness in the body and constant tiredness. He or she can have tremors and muscle weakness, also spasms. Vision problems are not rare as well as troubles with digestion and sexual function. Sometimes MS is accompanied with balance problems and ability to keep up a straight gait, and some others.

What concerns mental symptoms they usually include problems with concentration and memorizing things. A person experiences difficulties with forming own judgments. Depression and emotional extremes are also characteristic in this condition; as well as periods of psychosis and paranoia.

In a later period the condition can have the further complications like voice disorders, seizures, blindness, trigeminal neuralgia, paralysis, and some others.