Multiple Sclerosis: Lesser known danger that can permanently paralyse you

CHENNAI: Early diagnosis, immediate treatment and positive relationship with caregivers hold the key for saving Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients, experts told Express on the occasion of World Multiple Sclerosis Day, on Saturday.

MS is a long-term disease that attacks the nervous system. It causes seizures, numbing, sudden blinding and could even permanently paralyse a person. It demands life-long treatment like other chronic illnesses.
Patients often do not seek help fearing stigma and fall prey to practices like exorcism and faith healing, preventing them from seeking medical care. MS affects mostly women in the age group of 20-35.

Sharmada* started having sudden bouts of seizures when she was 15 years old. “The frequency increased and on some days I even had 20 seizures,” she said. A year later, the right half of her body went fully numb and she had use a scribe to write exams.

The now 25-year-old woman from Erode returned to normal life, thanks to sustained treatment under a neurologist. “I work at an MNC in Bengaluru. I go for jogging almost every morning. My life is as normal as I can expect it to be with this long-term treatment,” Sharmada added. While MS cannot be reversed, it can be controlled effectively. Dr Priya Thomas, a Psychiatric Social Work Department faculty at NIMHANS said, “When a healthy person suddenly becomes disabled, it wreaks a family. The discovery itself leads to stress and stress in turn triggers relapses. This could push a patient in a downward spiral.”