Multiple Sclerosis

References must be within the past 5 years, please.

Here is an outline of what should be included within the body of the paper.

This paper should have an introduction with background information about multiple sclerosis.

The second part is about the justification of my selection of this topic. I have included the intro/background first and justification second.

Outline:
1. Define Multiple Sclerosis:
a. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system (CNS), which includes the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.
b. Thought to be an immune-mediated disorder, in which the immune system incorrectly attacks healthy tissue in the CNS.
2. MS symptoms occur when the immune-system produces inflammation within the CNS.
a. The inflammatory attack damages myelin, (the protective insulation surrounding nerve fibers), oligodendrocytes (cells that make CNS myelin) and sometimes the underlying nerve fiber.
b. The damage caused by inflammation can produce symptoms that resolve over weeks to months or symptoms that are permanent.
3. MS can cause many symptoms, including blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, paralysis, and blindness and more.
a. These problems may come and go or persist and worsen over time. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although individuals as young as 2 and as old as 75 have developed it.
b. Epidemiology –
• Changing worldwide
• Understanding of Immunopathogenesis and natural history with new evidence pointing towards a multifactorial etiology involving both environmental and genetic factors
• More than two to three times as many women as men develop MS and this gender difference has been increasing over the past 50 years.
• Environmental factors, such as low Vitamin D and cigarette smoking have also been shown to increase the risk of MS.
• MS occurs in most ethnic groups, including African-Americans, Asians and Hispanics/Latinos, but is most common in Caucasians of northern European ancestry.
c. Prevalence and incidence rates:
• Steadily increasing over the last few decades.
• More than 2.3 million people are affected by MS worldwide
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not require U.S. physicians to report new cases, and because symptoms can be completely invisible, the prevalence of MS in the U.S. can only be estimated.

II. Justification for selection of this topic:

• Diagnosing MS can be a challenging process.
• In early MS, symptoms may be non-specific and suggestive of several disorders of the nervous system.
• Early symptoms that come and go may be ignored. While no single laboratory test is yet available to prove or rule out MS, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a great help in reaching a definitive diagnosis.
• Diagnostic criteria that incorporate MRI findings have been developed and revised by experts in the field and have helped providers make an accurate and timely diagnosis.