Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis is a topic covered in the 5-Minute Emergency Consult.

To view the entire topic, please or .

Emergency Central is a collection of disease, drug, and test information including 5-Minute Emergency Medicine Consult, Davis’s Drug, McGraw-Hill Medical’s Diagnosaurus®, Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests, and MEDLINE Journals created for emergency medicine professionals. Explore these free sample topics:

-- The first section of this topic is shown below --

Basics

Description

  • Pathophysiology: Recurrent episodes of CNS demyelination:
    • Signs and symptoms depend on location of lesions and timing of demyelination
  • Multiple sclerosis (MS) occurs in distinct patterns:
    • Relapsing recurring MS: 2 or more episodes lasting ≥24 hr separated by ≥1 mo
    • Primary progressive MS: Slow or stepwise progression over at least 6 mo
    • Secondary progressive MS: Initial exacerbations and remissions followed by slow progression over at least 6 mo
    • Stable MS: No progression (without treatment) over at least 18 mo

Etiology

  • MS is a chronic demyelinating disease of CNS:
    • Etiology is not well understood
  • Presumed to be T cell–mediated autoimmune disease
  • There is evidence for a viral trigger
  • Plaques in white matter:
    • Characterized by infiltrate of T cells and macrophages
  • Persons of northern European origin most often affected (in US)
  • Increased prevalence is seen moving away from equator

-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please or --

Basics

Description

  • Pathophysiology: Recurrent episodes of CNS demyelination:
    • Signs and symptoms depend on location of lesions and timing of demyelination
  • Multiple sclerosis (MS) occurs in distinct patterns:
    • Relapsing recurring MS: 2 or more episodes lasting ≥24 hr separated by ≥1 mo
    • Primary progressive MS: Slow or stepwise progression over at least 6 mo
    • Secondary progressive MS: Initial exacerbations and remissions followed by slow progression over at least 6 mo
    • Stable MS: No progression (without treatment) over at least 18 mo

Etiology

  • MS is a chronic demyelinating disease of CNS:
    • Etiology is not well understood
  • Presumed to be T cell–mediated autoimmune disease
  • There is evidence for a viral trigger
  • Plaques in white matter:
    • Characterized by infiltrate of T cells and macrophages
  • Persons of northern European origin most often affected (in US)
  • Increased prevalence is seen moving away from equator

There's more to see -- the rest of this entry is available only to subscribers.