MS common among young adults

Every hour, someone is newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), the most common neurological disease leading to disability in young adults.

Because MS is an unpredictable disease often hallmarked by its "silent" symptoms, such as severe fatigue or inability to feel one's limbs, most people probably know someone with MS, whether or not they are aware of that fact.

MS stops movement- physical, emotional and psychological. It is a disease that affects the central nervous system and damages myelin, the protective tissue that surrounds the nerve fibers in the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve.

The nerve fibers themselves are also damaged. This damage causes scarring called sclerosis in multiple areas, which disrupts the electrical impulses that flow information from the brain to different parts of the body and makes movement difficult.

The effects of MS are unpredictable. One person may experience memory loss and fatigue while another may suddenly lose his or her ability to see. Some might have trouble walking while others may have slurred speech and tremors. For some, the symptoms of MS come and go; in others, they last forever.

Though no one knows what causes MS, there are now treatments available that can affect the course of the disease due to research under way around the world.

There are also new therapies arriving every day to help manage symptoms, and extensive programs to help people with MS and their families keep moving forward with their lives.

Individuals can raise awareness of this disease that strikes without warning. Here's how:

+Call the local chapter and volunteer at an upcoming event.

+Make a donation.

+Sponsor a walker or cyclist in an upcoming MS bike tour or walk.

+Sign up for the next MS bike ride or walk.

+Contact local legislators about an issue important to people with disabilities.

+Get involved with a peer support network.

For more information, call (800) 344-4867 or visit www.nationalmssociety.org.

This story provided by North American Precis Syndicate Inc.