Although multiple sclerosis can't be cured, there are specialty pharmacy medications that can help people have fewer and less severe relapses with disease-modifying therapies that are taken either as a pill, injection or infusion.
MS is one of the most common causes of disability in younger adults and is a lifelong autoimmune disease that can cause mild to serious disability.
In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the immune-mediated disease, its symptoms, and therapies which lessen the severity of MS relapses.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord (CNS), causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance.
MS is an immune-mediated disease, meaning that an abnormal response of the body’s immune system is causing the disease. The immune system attacks the central nervous system (CNS) by mistake, damaging myelin (the fatty substance that surrounds and insulates the nerve fibers) and the cells that make it, causing demyelination.
The nerve damage caused by multiple sclerosis can result in:
The cause of MS is not known. Scientists believe the autoimmune disorder, MS, is triggered by a combination of factors, including the body’s immune system, disease patterns in large groups of people, genetics, and viruses (how family health history affects life insurance).
The symptoms of MS vary widely from person to person and can affect any part of the body. Depending on the type of MS you have, your symptoms may come and go in phases or worsen over time.
The main symptoms include:
Multiple sclerosis starts in one of two general ways: with individual relapses or with gradual progression.
Of every 10 people with MS, 8-9 of those people are diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS.
With relapsing-remitting MS, episodes of new or worsening symptoms, known as relapses, typically worsen over days. The relapses will last for days, weeks, or months, then slowly improve over a similar time period. Relapses often occur without warning, but are sometimes associated with a period of illness or stress.
The periods between the relapses or attacks, are known as remission, which can last for years at a time.
After many years, sometimes decades, some people with relapsing-remitting MS go on to develop secondary progressive MS. In this type of MS, symptoms gradually worsen over time without obvious attacks. About two-thirds of people with relapsing-remitting MS will develop secondary progressive MS.
Between 1-2 out of 10 people diagnosed with MS, start their condition with a gradual worsening of symptoms called primary progressive MS. The symptoms will gradually worsen and accumulate over several years with no periods of remission.
There's currently no cure for MS, but a number of treatments can help keep the autoimmune disease under control and ease its symptoms.
Multiple sclerosis treatment will depend on the specific symptoms and difficulties each person has. Treatment may include:
For those who have relapses with relapsing-remitting MS, primary and secondary progressive MS, disease-modifying therapies may also help to slow or reduce the overall worsening of disability. There is currently no treatment that can slow the progress of primary progressive MS, or secondary progressive MS (SPMS), where there are no relapses.
Therapies aiming to treat progressive MS are still being researched.
Once a diagnosis of MS has been made by a neurologist specializing in the disease, there are four typical patterns that the MS symptoms follow, however all symptoms can regress and progress unexpectedly.
There have been many recent advancements in immunology therapeutics treating MS. New treatments have dramatically reduced relapses, reduced progression of the disease, and improved quality of life.
Senderra Specialty Pharmacy offers many multiple sclerosis treatment and medications that may be suitable for you, including:
Senderra offers specialized immunology treatments for more than 15 specialties including autoimmune disorders like Lupus Nephritis, Guillain Barre Syndrome, Sarcoidosis disease, psoriasis, chronic asthma, CRSwNP and rheumatoid arthritis, gastroenterology, immune system disorders, dermatologic diseases, skin cancer, eczema and atopic dermatitis and more. Learn more about BioSimilars.
We put you first.
You deserve to be treated as a person, not a number.
With Senderra, you'll talk with real people who are dedicated to enabling you to get the medications and supporting information you need for your condition.
Senderra is a national specialty pharmacy, serving patients with challenging and ongoing medical conditions, like autoimmune disorders, through provision of specialty medications, clinical expertise and support services.
We dedicate ourselves to designing and executing a model to serve the needs of our patients and partners (Prescribers, Pharma and Payers) in order to make a difference and effect positive outcomes.
References:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/multiple-sclerosis/
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS
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