Understanding Multiple Sclerosis and Motor Neuron Disease These muscles are responsible for performing movements under one's will and thus, motor neuron diseases affect one's ability to perform voluntary movements. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the central nervous system.
MS is an autoimmune disease that causes your body to attack itself. ALS, also called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a nervous system disorder that wears away nerve cells in your brain and spinal cord. Both are treated differently.
MS has more mental impairment and ALS has more physical impairment. Late stage MS rarely is debilitating or fatal, while ALS is completely debilitating leading to paralysis and death.
Symptoms. The different types of MND cause similar symptoms and have three stages: early, middle, and advanced. The diseases progress at different speeds and vary in severity.
A person with MND will usually die between two to three years after diagnosis, but this can vary from person to person. Some people live many years after their diagnosis.
Average life span of 25 to 35 years after the diagnosis of MS is made are often stated. Some of the most common causes of death in MS patients are secondary complications resulting from immobility, chronic urinary tract infections, compromised swallowing and breathing.
Inherited MND affects up to 1 in 10 people with MND and means they probably have a family history of the disease. Where this is the case, it is impossible to predict when or if a family history means MND will happen. Other triggers may still be needed for the disease to begin.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) often is mistaken for multiple sclerosis (MS). In fact, they share similar symptoms and features, such as scarring around the nerves (sclerosis), causing muscle spasms, difficulty in walking, and fatigue.
Traditional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an excellent, non-invasive tool for helping doctors diagnose diseases like brain cancer or multiple sclerosis, and researchers continue to explore ways it can prove successful in identifying or understanding ALS.
Most of the time ALS is not inherited. In about 90% of cases, the person diagnosed is the only member of the family with the disease. These cases are called “sporadic ALS”. The cause of sporadic ALS is not well understood, but may be due to a combination of environmental and genetic risk factors.
Multiple sclerosis is caused by your immune system mistakenly attacking the brain and nerves. It's not clear why this happens but it may be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
An MRI scanner uses a strong magnetic field to create a detailed image of inside your brain and spinal cord. It's very accurate and can pinpoint the exact location and size of any inflammation, damage or scarring (lesions). MRI scans confirm a diagnosis in over 90 per cent of people with MS.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system that can affect the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Common symptoms include fatigue, bladder and bowel problems, sexual problems, pain, cognitive and mood changes such as depression, muscular changes and visual changes.
Causes of MND
exposure to viruses. exposure to certain toxins and chemicals. genetic factors. inflammation and damage to neurons caused by an immune system response.
In about two-thirds of people with MND, the first symptoms are in the arm or leg. This is sometimes called limb-onset disease. The symptoms include: a weakened grip, which can cause problems picking up or holding objects.
Motor neurone disease is an uncommon condition that mainly affects people in their 60s and 70s, but it can affect adults of all ages. It's caused by a problem with cells in the brain and nerves called motor neurones. These cells gradually stop working over time.
feeding difficulties – which may require a feeding tube or result in severe weight loss. difficulties breathing due to weakening of the respiratory muscles. difficulty with speech or losing the ability to speak. pressure sores due to immobility – which are at risk of becoming infected.
Four disease courses have been identified in multiple sclerosis: clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), primary progressive MS (PPMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS).
Pulmonary complications.
MS can weaken the muscles that control the lungs. Such respiratory issues are the major cause of sickness and death in people in the final stages of MS.
There is no blood test to diagnose MND.
Is MND painful? Motor neurones do not transmit or modify pain signals, so the disease itself is not inherently painful. 2 However, pain may be experienced as the disease progresses. Pain may occur at any stage of MND, including early on, with no relationship between pain intensity and length of time since diagnosis.
There is no single diagnostic test for MND. Diagnosis is based on features in the clinical history and examination, usually accompanied by electrophysiological tests, which will include EMG and nerve conduction studies. Other tests may include: MRI scanning of the brain and spinal cord.