Why Do Symptoms Persist When No Lesions With Multiple Sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system, leading to distortions or interruptions in nerve impulses. When diagnosing a patient with MS, a physician should find damage to the central nervous system in the form of at least one lesion.

How MS Works

• MS causes the body's defense system to attack its own myelin, a substance that protects the nerve fibers in your central nervous system. This leads to damaging effects to the body as it reacts to distorted nerve impulses.

Lesions

• A lesion is an area of tissue damage in the brain that contains inflammatory cells, usually white blood cells. The word sclerosis refers to the scarring of the brain tissue brought on by myelin damage.

Causes

• The cause of MS is still unknown, though it is now generally accepted that it has to do with the autoimmune process. Other theories suggest that it could be linked to heredity or viral infection.

Symptoms

• Generally, most people with MS experience problems with balance, fatigue, dizziness and vision difficulties. Those with more extreme cases experience seizures, speech disorders and tremors. If you experience these symptoms but have not been found to have lesions, you still might have multiple sclerosis, though it is uncommon.

Treatment

• Though no clear cause of MS has been found, there are many ways to control it and stop damage before it occurs. There is help in the way of diet and exercise, rehabilitation, medications for the differing symptoms and treating exacerbations. Some medications that have been proven to slow down the progress of MS include Avonex, Betaseron, Copaxone, Extavia, Novantrone, Rebit and Tysabri.