In multiple sclerosis, the immune system destroys the myelin sheath of the nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. As a result, various systems in the body stop receiving signals from the brain, and symptoms of the disease arise. However, the ability to think clearly is retained. Until recently, most patients with multiple sclerosis were quickly confined to bed. In recent decades, doctors and researchers have made great progress. Let’s talk about what multiple sclerosis is and how it is diagnosed. Let’s discuss best ms treatments, including stem cell therapy for ms patients.
Multiple sclerosis is a serious and unpredictable disease that can occur at any age. But most often it is young people in the most active phase of life who “get hit”. This disease can seriously change the usual course of things. But it still leaves patients the opportunity to live life to the fullest, not to stop, and not to humble themselves. Fortunately, innovative clinics such as Swiss medica are very successful today in applying modern treatment methods. The unique treatment technology helps to improve the course of the disease to a great extent.
Risk Factors and Epidemiology
Most human diseases are complex, that is, developing due to the interaction of genetic, epigenetic, and external factors. MS is one of these diseases. It occurs in people with a genetic predisposition. Environmental factors affect the body, triggering pathological mechanisms. Genetic predisposition is only 30% responsible for the risk of developing MS. The remaining 70% is due to the contribution of non-genetic factors. What can influence the risk of developing MS:
- Genetics and epigenetics.
- Age, sex, and ethnicity.
- Environmental factors.
Multiple sclerosis symptoms and diagnosis
Exactly how MS manifests itself depends on the location and extent of nerve fiber damage. Thus, MS symptoms are neurological in nature and nonspecific. In other words, they are characteristic of some other neurological pathologies. Therefore, they do not directly indicate MS. Sometimes patients note an episode of certain symptoms several months/years before their first visit to a physician. Some of these distant symptoms at a young age are often written off as fatigue, the effects of a cold, etc., and are not taken seriously.
Multiple Sclerosis. Prognosis
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease. The bad news about the prognosis is that current treatments for MS do not yet allow for a complete cure. However, MS is not a fatal disease, and its manifestations can be controlled. Let’s look at the prognosis for MS patients.
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS), today, MS patients have a longer life expectancy compared to patients who lived a few decades ago. Society experts believe this is due to the advent of innovative treatments and new medications, improved quality of care, and lifestyle changes.
Studies have shown that the average life expectancy of people with MS is about seven years shorter than in the general population. This is due to the development of complications or other diseases, many of which can be prevented or their impact on health reduced. The causes of death in MS patients are mostly the same as in people in the general population: cancer and cardiovascular disease. Except for rare cases of severe MS, the prognosis for life expectancy is generally favorable.
Experts believe that if the disease is left untreated, more than a third of MS patients will develop serious symptoms within 20 to 25 years. About 5-10% of patients have a clinically “mild” MS phenotype. Physical activity is not impaired for several decades after onset, even though there are numerous new foci of disease.
The prognosis is highly dependent on the type of MS. Primary-progressive MS is characterized by progressive deterioration from the onset of the first symptoms of the disease, without remissions. But there may be periods of stabilization, during which there is no increase in a neurological deficit. For the relapsing form of MS, it is necessary to assess the symptoms dynamically.
Treatments for multiple sclerosis
Aetiotropic therapy for MS, i.e., treatment aimed at eliminating a specific cause of the disease, is not practiced due to the inability to identify its specific causative agent. As a consequence, pathogenetic therapy is used, the main objectives of which are:
- to stop the exacerbation of the disease with the impact on the foci of autoimmune inflammation and simultaneous activation of compensatory-adaptive mechanisms;
- prevention and reduction of the severity of exacerbations;
- symptomatic therapy to eliminate the symptoms that negatively affect the patient’s ability to lead a normal life.
Plasmapheresis, glucocorticoids, copaxone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, biostimulants, B vitamins, and other drugs are used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
Drugs that alter the course of multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis requires lifelong treatment. In the past, it was all about symptomatic therapy and trying to suppress exacerbations of the disease. In the last 20 years, thanks to the accumulated knowledge about the mechanisms of disease development, drugs that modify the course of MS (DMTs) have appeared. All DMTs reduce the activity of autoimmune inflammation and slow neurodegeneration. Their effect is aimed at achieving a stable and long-lasting remission in patients. Immediate administration of DMTs immediately after diagnosis increases the chances of successful treatment.
Multiple sclerosis and stem cells treatment
One of the most effective methods of fighting insidious disease is stem cell treatment for multiple sclerosis. It is this progressive and effective method of replacement therapy that is offered today in advanced clinics. It provides:
- Restoration of myelin. With it, the normal speed of transmission of nerve impulses.
- Regeneration of brain and spinal cord cells in areas of nerve tissue replaced by connective scar tissue.
- Normalization of the activity of the immune system with the cessation of autoimmune “attacks” from its side on the nervous system of the body.
In the early stage of the disease, a noticeable improvement is possible due to the powerful regenerative potential of stem cells. The method of multiple sclerosis stem cells treatment is characterized by the achievement of high results. In each of the cases of therapeutic effect, ms treatment injections provide a stable remission. As a result of the therapeutic procedures, patients regain motor functions, the ability to serve themselves. As well as to move around independently.
Stem cells today are an advanced and promising method of treatment, which has shown high efficacy in multiple sclerosis. This type of treatment is still considered experimental. But often it helps to restore lost functions in multiple sclerosis.
Stem cells for ms treatment are unfortunately not suitable for all patients. Before undergoing such treatment, patients must undergo a study to see whether such therapy is suitable for them. Studies show that about 70% of patients who underwent stem cell therapy had no relapses or new lesions in the brain within 5 years.