Doctor's Report

(S7L2.e)

Doctor’s Report 

Doctor: Dr. Jerome D. Sipin 

December 12, 2013 12:15 PM 

Patient: Billy Bob Smith Jr. 

Age: 24 Gender: Male 

DOB: October 12, 1979 

Condition: Multiple sclerosis 

      Dear Mr. Smith, It has come to my attention that you have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Last time you visited us, you showed the following symptoms:

  -Dizziness 

  -Numbness of the leg 

  -Blurred vision 

These are symptoms of multiple sclerosis. This disease affects the nervous system of your body, which controls your body. Multiple sclerosis causes the immune system to attack nerves, which damages the myelin coating of the nerve. The myelin allows nerves to transmit signals quickly and efficiently. Because of this, normal nerve activity can decrease. Organs affected by multiple sclerosis differ from person to person. Right now, for you, Mr. Smith, you’re looking at multiple sclerosis affecting your muscular system and sensory organs. Loss of vision is rare, and becoming paralyzed is rare as well. Overall, multiple sclerosis can make it harder for you to do even the simplest of things. 

As multiple sclerosis is a neurological disorder, it can affect just about every major organ in the body. The immune system attacks myelin, a fatty material coating nerves. This material helps the nerve transmit signals quickly and efficiently. Normal nerve activity decreases with the onset of multiple sclerosis. This is because multiple sclerosis causes scars to form on the covering of the nerve. This is where the name multiple sclerosis comes from, as it means “scars”. The organs affected by multiple sclerosis vary from person to person, as do the symptoms. For example, it can attack nerves leading to muscles, leading to loss of muscle control. 

Here’s how multiple sclerosis can affect the organs in these systems. Multiple sclerosis can affect all organ systems in the body. Multiple sclerosis can affect two major parts of the sensory system (which is part of the nervous system); vision and hearing (eye and ear). As explained before, you can get vision problems from multiple sclerosis and hearing problems. Deafness and blindness are very rare, and most cases in vision and hearing eventually solve themselves. The muscular system is affected when the brain has trouble communicating with the muscles. This can lead to numbness, hand-eye-coordination problems, and loss of motor skills. Problems start slowly and worsen as nerve damage increase. This can be treated through a wheelchair or another type of aid. Parts of the respiratory and digestive system are also affected. You can have trouble speaking, breathing, and even swallowing. People with MS also have a risk of getting osteoporosis because of treatments like steroids, and because of plain inactivity.

Sadly, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis at the moment. However, strategies like therapy, modifying the course of the disease, and treating attack areas can help. Some medications can ease the pain of MS attacks. Even steroids can help with victims of multiple sclerosis. By strengthening weakened muscles, steroids make a good medicine for people whose muscular system is attacked by multiple sclerosis.