Multiple Sclerosis - Can It Be Fatal?

Most cases of MS affect people in their childhood. Some people are also affected right in the midst of adulthood. In rare cases, the MS may lead to Schilder s disease. Both of these conditions cause the myelin sheath to be depleted. As time passes, the neurological symptoms such as incontinence, dementia and tremors, increase. If your child has symptoms similar to the ones mentioned here, he/she may be suffering from MS as well. Visit a doctor as soon as possible to start treatment for the same.

Myelin forms a layer of the nerves and helps in the transmission of nerve signals. Multiple sclerosis is a condition where the body s immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath. This interrupts the normal flow of neural transmissions.

The real cause for MS is poorly understood. However, doctors believe that some people are genetically predisposed to develop the condition. Apart from this, the environmental conditions along with the certain infections may leave people vulnerable to the neurological disorder. More research is needed to determine the exact cause of multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis alone is not a fatal disease. However, neural degeneration may lead to paralysis or disabilities. There is some research which indicates that people suffering from multiple sclerosis live for a lesser period of time than people who are not affected by the condition. However, this is not a result of the condition itself, but of the medical complications involved with the treatment. With time though, the treatments have improved, which is why the lifespan of patients suffering from MS has now increased..