Do you start forgetting things before you turn 30? It may be a warning sign of "Multiple Sclerosis"! Doctors reveal: Brain capacity loss is 5 times faster
Do you start forgetting things before you turn 30? May be a warning sign of “multiple sclerosis”
If you begin to have forgetfulness, memory loss, or even vision deterioration or numbness in your limbs before the age of 30, be aware that it may be a warning sign of Multiple Sclerosis (MS)! Multiple sclerosis is a rare autoimmune disease that causes repeated inflammatory reactions in the central nervous system and may cause neurological symptoms “from head to toe.”
Ye Jianhong, Chairman of the Taiwan Neuroimmune Medical Association, pointed out that multiple sclerosis may affect the central nervous system in various parts of the body, and may also cause corresponding symptoms, causing dysfunction in balance, perception, cognitive function, movement, etc.; it can easily be identified as other diseases. , it is difficult to diagnose, and patients often go through a long diagnosis period. Sometimes they may not seek medical treatment in time due to mild or asymptomatic symptoms, and may even cause irreversible brain damage due to repeated attacks.
Patient Ms. Zhuo shared that she developed symptoms when she was under 30 years old. At first, she only experienced numbness in different parts of her hands, feet, and belly at different points in time. After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, she immediately started treatment. Later, her right eye became blurry. Unexpectedly, it was also related to multiple sclerosis. After just one week’s delay, she missed the golden opportunity for treatment. The optic nerve in her right eye was damaged and her vision was only 0.1. She could hardly see the scene in front of her clearly. It also made her deeply aware of the importance of early control and early treatment. Importance of treatment.
Not treating it can really be “nervous”! Doctors reveal common symptoms of multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is unpredictable, and there is no consistent pattern for disease progression. The most “troubling” thing is that even if there appear to be no symptoms, the brain may still be inflamed, with new lesions bit by bit “eating away” the nerves and causing damage. Brain damage. Chairman Ye Jianhong said that nerve inflammation does not necessarily cause symptoms. In order to avoid the onset of functional degradation, the patient’s immune system needs to be regulated early to reduce nerve damage. Having correct treatment concepts is the core key to not damaging the brain.
Dr. Luo Rongsheng, director of the Department of Neurology at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, further explained that the immune system of patients with multiple sclerosis will cause related inflammatory reactions and launch self-attacks; the conditions of different patients with multiple sclerosis may vary greatly, and the clinical manifestations will vary according to the attack It varies depending on the location of the nerve: if the lesion occurs in the optic nerve, it may cause vision loss; if it occurs in the cerebellum, it may cause balance disorders; if it occurs in the spinal cord, it may cause weakness and numbness in the limbs; if it occurs in the brain, it may affect cognitive function.
Other common symptoms include abnormal sensation, abnormal sensitivity to cold and heat, fatigue, abnormal movement, etc. As a result, many patients have the experience of repeatedly seeking medical treatment in different departments before diagnosis. In addition, the disease will relapse from time to time, and the lesions will vary. Being confined to one place and facing the unknown development of the disease will cause great physical and mental stress to the patients in the long run.
Multiple sclerosis accelerates brain shrinkage, and patients lose brain volume five times faster
Multiple sclerosis is divided into four major types based on the disease process, frequency and severity of symptoms: relapsing-remitting type, first-episode progressive type, subsequent progressive-episode type, and progressive-relapsing type. Dr. Luo Rongsheng pointed out that the most common type among patients is the “relapsing-remitting type”, accounting for about 85% of the total. The symptoms of the disease vary from person to person and can recur; however, after an attack, the disease will recover and improve, and may even feel like a complete recovery. Therefore, it is easy for patients to take it lightly and even stop taking medication on their own, without knowing that the brain may still be damaged and develop new lesions. .
When the disease seems to be under stable control, even if the patient has no symptoms of multiple sclerosis, the brain may still be in a state of inflammation. Dr. Xu Ronglong, director of the Department of Neurology, New Taipei City Tucheng Hospital, said frankly: “About 40-70% Patients with multiple sclerosis will experience cognitive dysfunction and their brains will shrink at an accelerated rate. Studies have pointed out that the brain volume loss rate of patients with relapsing-remitting type is about 0.5%-1.35% per year, which is about that of a normal person around 30 years old. 5 times!”
Dr. Xu Ronglong pointed out that multiple sclerosis may even affect cognition and mental functions. You may find yourself unable to find words when reading, unable to handle multiple tasks at the same time, or even unable to remember your appearance or name, which affects your daily life. Therefore, you must continue to take medication. This is the key to stably controlling the disease and slowing down brain damage and recurrence rates.
Stable treatment reduces brain damage in patients! Oral medication expected to reduce risk of relapse
Due to the complexity of multiple sclerosis, treatment strategies need to be formulated with comprehensive consideration. Dr. Xu Ronglong said that the survey showed that in the first two years of treatment, about 70% of patients experienced relapse, and half of them relapsed twice. Therefore, in addition to relieving symptoms, the most important treatment goals are to reduce the number of relapses, delay the progression of disability, and improve the patient’s quality of life.
The early treatment of multiple sclerosis is often based on “interferon” and must be administered by injection. However, now there are more and more oral drugs to choose from, which can eliminate patients’ fear of injections, and the first-line oral drugs It only needs to be taken once a day, and it is very effective in reducing annual recurrences and the number of brain lesions. It can help reduce brain volume loss and improve cognitive function scores (SDMT Symbol Digital Modal Test).
Dr. Luo Rongsheng emphasized that only continuous and stable medication can protect the patient’s brain. Early medication can not only effectively improve the prognosis, reduce synaptic damage to nerve cells, and avoid major adverse effects on the immune system and central nervous system. Since May 30th is World Multiple Sclerosis Day every year, the main theme this year is “diagnosis”, hoping to improve the public’s understanding of multiple sclerosis, enable early diagnosis, and receive stable and continuous treatment.
Chairman Ye Jianhong also appealed to patients that correct and early diagnosis is the basis of treatment. Therefore, both the general public and patients should be more aware of multiple sclerosis. “Only early diagnosis and treatment can reduce nerve cell damage and reduce the recurrence rate. And delay the progression of the disease, control the disease more stably and reduce the subsequent impact on life! "
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