When it comes to types of MS, there are
4 different types of Multiple Sclerosis,
which are recognized around the world.
Multiple Sclerosis
is becoming a worldwide problem
and is being diagnosed more often in many more countries around the
world,
where Multiple Sclerosis was not heard of, just 20 years ago.
The medical communities from
around the world are
joining forces, in collaborating together to do much more MS research
in many
more different areas, as efforts are being made to understand more
about the
disease process of Multiple Sclerosis.
The
MS research
is focusing on determining more about what causes MS, how MS attacks
the body, what
can affect the severity and frequency of the symptoms of Multiple
Sclerosis, about
ways to reverse or reduce the severity of the MS attacks that can
result in more severe
disability in more of the cases of MS that are being diagnosed each
year.
Because there has been found
to be a broad range of
Multiple Sclerosis
symptoms for each case of MS, it is more difficult for the
doctors that are diagnosing more cases of MS to help their MS patients
to find
relief to the often devastating effects of Multiple Sclerosis on
the body.
When it comes to types of MS, there are
4 types of
Multiple Sclerosis, which are recognized
internationally. The 4 different types
of MS are categorized under different labels, because the
characteristics of
each type is enough different that it recognized that this
requires different
ways of bringing relief to the symptoms of each type of Multiple
Sclerosis.
It is thought that the 4
types of MS describe the ways that these
different types of Multiple Sclerosis appear to be
related, but somehow different as far as their specific symptoms that
tend to
be characteristic of each type of Multiple Sclerosis, along with some
differences in the disease progression.
The
4 Types of MS
are:
1. Relapsing
and Remitting Multiple Sclerosis or Remitting Multiple
Sclerosis
2.
Primary
Progressive Multiple Sclerosis,
Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, or Progressive
MS
3. Secondary
Progressive Multiple Sclerosis
4. Progressive
Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis
Relapsing and Remitting Multiple Sclerosis is the type of MS that is
more often
associated with what are commonly thought of as the symptoms of MS.
Since this
type of MS has the relapses and remissions associated with it, the
symptoms can
vary with a broad range of symptoms that can vary from more mild to
more
severe.
Relapsing
and Remitting MS accounts for about 55% of all of those that
are diagnosed
with Multiple Sclerosis for all of the cases of MS,that have been
diagnosed
throughout many countries around the world. During the attacks,
relapses or
exacerbations, Relapsing and Remitting MS can cause scarring and
demyelination
of the white matter and/or the myelin sheath throughout the brain and
spinal
cord that basically helps to transmit the nerve signals throughout the
rest of
the Central Nervous System (CNS). During the Remissions, the
demyelination
begins to repair itself and this is called remyelination, which causes
the
remissions to occur.
Secondary
Progressive MS appears to be related to the more advanced
symptoms that
result after a person has first been diagnosed with Relapsing and
Remitting
Multiple Sclerosis and the MS disease process has resulted in further
damage to the body.
For Secondary Progressive MS to occur, the patient
is first
diagnosed with Relapsing and Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. It appears
by the
way that the medical community describes Secondary Progressive Multiple
Sclerosis that it is the advanced stages of Relapse Remitting Multiple
Sclerosis,
after the relapses and remissions start to lessen and become less often.
Primary
Progressive MS or Progressive
Multiple Sclerosis is different from Relapsing and Remitting
MS, since it
does not result in the larger amounts of scarring on the Multiple
Sclerosis mri test results and it does not have as much of
the periods of
relapses and remissions as the Relapsing and Remitting form of MS does.
The Progressive
Multiple Sclerosis also appears to continue to worsen between
periods of
plateaus or remissions, but it appears by the description of this form
of
Multiple Sclerosis by the medical community that there can be shorter
periods
where the remissions or remyelination can result, but the disability
from the
nerve damage and scarring that can result from the disease process
appears to
gradually become worse over time, in spite of the periodic plateaus.
The Progressive
Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis is thought by some doctors to be
a variation
of the Primary Progressive form of Multiple Sclerosis, but this type of
MS is
only found to be about 5% of the total number of those that have been
diagnosed
with Multiple Sclerosis.
Of
the 4 types of MS, the
Relapsing Remitting form of Multiple Sclerosis is the most commonly
diagnosed with at least 50% to 60% of the cases of Multiple Sclerosis
being diagnosed with this type.
Approximately
10% to 15% of the cases of Multiple Sclerosis are being reported to be
diagnosed as Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, but this ratio can
change, since the number of cases of Multiple Sclerosis, being
diagnosed world wide is currently on a rapid increase in the number of
cases being diagnosed each year.
Approximately
twice as many women are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis as men each
year and the ages of the diagnosis tend to vary between the ages of 20
to 40, but the MS symptoms can appear at an older age too.
There
are not as many cases of Multiple Sclerosis diagnosed in young
children, although there are cases that do exist for people less than
the typical age of 20 for the initial display of symptoms of Multiple
Sclerosis.
