Multiple sclerosis review

摘要

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune, inflammatory neurological disease of the central nervous system (CNS). MS attacks the myelinated axons in the CNS, destroying the myelin and the axons to varying degrees. The course of MS is highly varied and unpredictable. In most patients, the disease is characterized initially by episodes of reversible neurological deficits, which is often followed by progressive neurological deterioration over time. From 250,000 to 350,000 patients in the U.S. have MS, and 50% of patients will need help walking within 15 years after the onset of the disease. Twice as many women are affected as men, and persons of Northern European descent appear to be at highest risk for MS. The disease is diagnosed on the basis of clinical findings and supporting evidence from ancillary tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and examination of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). MS typically presents in adults 20 to 45 years of age; occasionally, it presents in childhood or late middle age.