Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the central nervous system, made up of the brain and spinal cord, and can cause varying degrees of disability.
It’s a chronic, degenerative disease that, in some cases, may not be fully noticeable at first, but can lead to permanent damage or deterioration of nerve fibers over time.
The level of disability varies greatly from person to person, some may experience vision problems, others coordination issues, and others problems with strength or movement, note Dr. Irene Treviño Frenk, neurologist at ABC Medical Center, and Dr. Eli Skromne Eisenberg, neurologist specializing in multiple sclerosis.
Someone living with multiple sclerosis may experience many relapses with minor effects, many relapses with significant effects, few relapses with minor effects, or few relapses with major effects. This depends on which areas of the nervous system are affected.
There’s also a long-standing belief that a multiple sclerosis diagnosis automatically means total disability. But today, thanks to newer treatments, although there’s no cure, it is a manageable disease.
I’ve Been Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, What Now?
Someone diagnosed with multiple sclerosis will follow a treatment path involving several approaches.
First, it’s important to understand that, since there’s no cure, the main goal is to slow down or even prevent the disease’s progression and the disabilities it can cause.
Another key factor is identifying how advanced the disease is. Someone who’s just experienced their first relapse will receive different care than someone whose relapses began 20 years ago. Dr. Treviño notes that treatment for this condition has evolved significantly in recent years, so patients who received their first treatment decades ago will be managed very differently than patients receiving therapy today, even though the overall goal remains the same.
Another important factor to consider is personalizing treatment. It’s important to understand not just the number of relapses and lasting effects each patient has experienced, but also their life plans, for example, whether they’re hoping to become pregnant, whether they have other health conditions, whether they already have significant or only mild disability, how difficult it is for them to get around, and so on.
Together, these factors shape an individualized treatment plan built around disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), which, as the name suggests, aim to change the course of the disease and manage its symptoms, both equally important goals.
Disease-modifying therapies should be started early to help control inflammation in the nervous system, which causes the damage. Alongside this, rehabilitation treatment helps improve the course of episodes.
Because this condition affects more than the nervous system, it requires a multidisciplinary approach involving doctors, nurses, and therapists, as well as specialties such as neurology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, psychiatry, and any other specialty each patient may need.
The overall goal is to treat relapses, monitor the effectiveness of disease-modifying therapies, manage symptoms, carry out rehabilitation, and ensure patient safety throughout treatment.
Dr. Treviño and Dr. Skromne emphasize that, in treating multiple sclerosis, it’s important to foster a positive doctor-patient relationship that goes beyond diagnosis and treatment and makes room for questions, concerns, and explanations about the disease. The goal is for patients to feel comfortable asking questions and sharing how they’re experiencing the disease from their own perspective, since multiple sclerosis isn’t the patient’s whole life, it’s just one part of it.
Ideally, diagnosis and treatment should begin as early as possible. Although it can be difficult to identify in many cases, once there’s suspicion, even if the person is in a stage with no noticeable symptoms, it’s important to seek immediate care to help prevent the disease from progressing.
At ABC Medical Center’s Neurological Center, we can provide you with specialized care. Contact us!
