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Multiple sclerosis: What is it? Symptoms? Vitamin D deficiency? Treatments for Multiple Sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks myelin (the protective covering of nerve endings) in the CNS (central nervous system, which consists of the spine and peripheral nerves attached to it.) Multiple sclerosis cannot be attributed to one sole cause; it is thought to be influenced by environmental, genetic, and most of all, immune factors. Sometimes specific genes are associated with multiple sclerosis, but the most commonly known lifestyle choice which causes MS is a vitamin D deficiency. Low vitamin D levels play a crucial role in triggering and exacerbating the condition.

In patients with MS, because the immune system is attacking the myelin on nerve fiber, disrupting the electrical signal flow on the nerves, various symptoms occur in the body, most being neuron-related. For example, fatigue, difficulty in walking, numbness of muscles, muscle weakness, difficulty to see clearly, and huge problems with balancing the body or muscle-body coordination. In most people, not all symptoms are present; for each person with MS, the symptoms and course of the disease varies.

MS tends to lead to disability over time, specifically through the impact it has on mobility, the ability to think and act on it, and overall problems with daily functioning. All this, tends to cause complications and secondary conditions which can significantly impact the life quality of patients of MS. However, with modern medicine, the situation for people with MS is improving.

Treatments for multiple sclerosis typically involve:

`1. DMTs (Disease-Modifying Therapies): Medicines like interferons and glatiramer acetate are often prescribed to patients with MS to reduce frequency of relapses of the disease and prevent further degeneration of nerve function.

2. Symptomatic treatments: Since MS tends to cause a lot of muscle-related discomfort and secondary conditions, those symptoms are treated differently, with medicines specific to the symptoms being experienced by patients.

3. Physical therapy: Oftentimes, people with MS are advised to take physical therapy which makes them use their muscles and helps them retain the ability to stay moving. In fact, in most cases, physical therapy is often the first administered treatment for MS (as medication can affect the rest of the body negatively sometimes)

4. Vitamin D supplementation: Since MS often develops alongside a vitamin D deficiency, weekly supplementation of 60000 international units of vitamin D is sometimes administered. However, this is always done under strict supervision, as excess consumption of vitamin D can lead to hypercalcemia, a potentially fatal condition.

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