Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) was recognized as a distinct disease involving both the brain and spinal cord and associated with disseminated demyelinating plaques (“la sclerose en plaques”) and axonal damage more than 145 years ago by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot [1]. Since that time, the world has witnessed many remarkable discoveries. Due to progress in physics and mathematics, MRI has become a powerful tool in neurology allowing us to follow the progression of demyelinating lesions in living patients. Based on progress made in the field of immunology, a number of immunomodulatory drugs have been discovered, tested in clinical trials and become standards of care for the treatment of patients with relapsing-remitting form of MS. However, medications used in MS are called Disease-Modifying Treatments (DMTs) since they do not stop the disease but only delay its activity and progression. DMTs have limited clinical efficacy and may have significant adverse effects. At present, we do not know what causes MS and, therefore, we cannot develop the MS cure. It has been well documented that MS pathogenesis involves both inflammation and neurodegeneration. Inflammation is more common in relapsing-remitting form of MS compared to primaryprogressive form of MS and, in the past, was considered a primary feature of demyelination in MS. Surprisingly, myelin destruction has recently been reported to occur before inflammation at least in some patients [2]. It is believed that MS occurs as a result of a complex combination of genetic background and environmental factors. Studies show MS prevalence approximately 1 per 100,000
Source: Journal of Multiple Sclerosis
Author: Konstantin E Balashov
Institutions: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Rutgers Health
Language: English
Subfield: Pathology and Forensic Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2364571563