Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease affecting nerves in the brain and spinal cord. This can cause problems with muscle movement, balance and vision. Seeing a Private Consultant for Multiple Sclerosis can help understand your symptoms so you can access support.
Electrical activity is happening in our brain all the time. A seizure happens when there is a sudden burst of intense electrical activity in the brain. In this information, this intense electrical activity is called ‘epileptic activity’.
Understanding Multiple Sclerosis
Each nerve fibre in the brain and spinal cord is surrounded by a layer of myelin, which protects the nerve and helps electrical signals travel fast and effectively. In MS, the myelin becomes damaged. MS is a demyelinating inflammatory disorder.
Around 8 out of 10 people with MS will have the relapsing-remitting type of MS.
Someone with relapsing-remitting MS will have periods of time where symptoms are mild or disappear altogether. This is known as remission and can last for days, weeks or sometimes months.
Remission may be followed by a sudden flare-up of symptoms, known as a relapse. Relapses can last from a few weeks to few months.
Often, after around 10 years, around half of people with relapsing-remitting MS will go on to develop secondary progressive MS. In secondary progressive MS, symptoms gradually worsen and there are fewer or no periods of remission.
The least common form of MS is primary progressive MS. In this type, symptoms gradually get worse over time and there are no periods of remission.
Seeing a Private Consultant for Multiple Sclerosis will establish the symptoms and type of MS that you may be experiencing so a support plan can be put in place.
Treatment for MS
There is currently no cure for MS but there are a number of treatments that can help. Relapsing-remitting MS and secondary progressive MS can be treated with disease-modifying drugs. These are designed to slow the progression of the disease and reduce the number of relapses. But they are not suitable for all people with MS.
At the moment, there is no treatment that can slow the progress of primary progressive MS so seeking guidance is important.
There are, however, a wide range of treatments, including steroid injections and physiotherapy, that can help relieve symptoms and make day-to-day living easier
See a Private Consultant for Multiple Sclerosis
Dr Paviour has a specialist interest in Parkinson’s disease and other Movement Disorders. He is the clinical lead for Movement Disorders at the Atkinson Morley Regional Neurosciences Centre.
He is a Private Consultant for Multiple Sclerosis and welcomes patients to his clinic. Please contact us so we can discuss your needs.