“A disease with a thousand faces”: what is multiple sclerosis and why are young people more affected

-  What is multiple sclerosis? Does this disease relate to impaired memory in old age, as many believe?

- Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease. It affects young people on average about 22–27 years old. Less often, children aged seven to nine years. Also seldom elderly people are ill. That is, the average age is 27 years (plus or minus five years). Mostly women of normal reproductive age are affected. The disease in two-thirds of these women begins after pregnancy ... As a rule, they have never had anything before.

The disease can occur against a background of stress, when, first of all, motor functions are disturbed, legs stop walking, hands stop working, and coordination of movements begins. Memory has nothing to do with it, the functions of motor activity are violated. Then sensitivity may be impaired, later vision. Although there are forms when it all starts with visual impairment. That is, as a rule, cognitive functions are affected 10-15, or even 20-25 years after the onset of the disease.

- Why are young people more susceptible to this disease, what is the reason for this?

- Genes. This is a genetically determined condition. These genes begin to be activated in almost 50% of cases after some kind of stress. It can be exams or unhappy love, severe flu or vitamin deficiency. The main number of patients occurs in the spring and summer season. Just when the winter ended, vitamin deficiency, spring love and exams began. So we get the patient.

- How many people with multiple sclerosis live in Russia? How does the number of such patients change over time? 

- This disease has a prevalence in Russia of about 50 people per 100 thousand people. It is due to genetic factors. It all depends on nationality. Different nationalities get sick differently. Today, about 52 thousand people receive treatment in Russia.

- What are the main symptoms of the disease? And how does it appear externally? 

- The disease manifests itself in different ways, it is called a disease with a thousand faces. That is, combinations can be different. A person can have everything normal, and he suddenly stops walking or begins to have problems with coordination of movements. Vision may disappear completely.

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- Is the origin of the disease known? How much does genetics influence?

-Yes, it is exclusively genetics. That is, there is no gene for multiple sclerosis. There is a gene for immune disorders. There are genetic changes. The genes responsible for the immune system manifest themselves like this.

- Is it possible to completely cure multiple sclerosis? Are medicines available that help patients maintain their condition? Is it possible to live a normal life with such a disease?

- Now there are drugs that change the course of multiple sclerosis. They do not cure the disease, but inhibit its development. So 20 years ago we used first-line drugs, their effectiveness was about 32%, now there are new drugs, also first-line with an effectiveness of up to 40-45%. Second-line drugs achieve an efficiency of about 60%. Unfortunately, while these drugs do not cure the disease, but we do not lose hope. At least these drugs help people not to become disabled, to live normally. Now 15-20 years a person can work on treatment, start a family, have children. Children, as a rule, do not get multiple sclerosis. That is, a person can live quite fully and wait for a drug to cure this disease.

- Is there a high mortality rate from multiple sclerosis in Russia and in the world?

- As a rule, no one dies from multiple sclerosis. They die from side diseases, from joining secondary infections.

-  How to help people with multiple sclerosis accept their diagnosis? Do they need psychological support?

- Yes of course. These people need all the support of society. Therefore, there are public organizations. When a person filled with hopes for a bright future is informed of such a diagnosis, then this seems like a sentence, the end of a career and life. Therefore, psychologists are very necessary, the support of public organizations is needed. In almost every region, we have our own branches, where we deal with such people. Here and there in Russia there are leisure centers. Many activists have long been in wheelchairs, but they do not give up, they work, they help, they teach us how to live.

- Are there any preventative measures? Is it possible to protect against the occurrence of multiple sclerosis?

- No. This is a genetic disease. You can only not be upset, not nervous. That is, the maximum elimination of stress is a condition for avoiding a number of diseases, including multiple sclerosis. But I cannot make it a recipe or recommendation. But we know that 47% of the first attacks of this disease begin precisely after severe stress, and, probably, if there were no stress, then there would be no attacks.