My dad is 53 and ahs multiple sclerosis.he was diagnosed about 25 years ago.?!
Question: My dad is 53 and ahs multiple sclerosis.he was diagnosed about 25 years ago..?
he lives alone and is very independent.the illness does seem to affect his balance and he gets tired easily. he doesnt take any medication. are there some forms of MS that dont deteriorate and can remain manageable.?Health Question & Answer
Answers:
As far as we know, Multiple Sclerosis is one disease, even if we don't know the exact cause of it. The mechanism of action is demyelination of the neurons in the brain, caused by an autoimmune response (which means the body is attacking itself). As the poster above me said, a diagnosis of MS doesn't guarantee everyone will have the same course of symptoms. The way MS affects two people is often quite different - and while there are no different "forms" of MS, there are different "subtypes" that have been defined by doctors depending on how the symptoms progress in someone's lifetime. First I want to note that "remission" means that they are not experiencing NEW neurological symptoms, and "relapsing" or "episode" means they are having an attack where they experience new neurological disturbances and the physical symptoms that go along with it.
The different subtypes are:
-relapsing remitting (unpredictable episodes)
-secondary progressive (went from relapsing remitting to not having remission time)
-primary progressive (steadily getting worse)
-progressive relapsing (steadily getting worse with attacks in between)
Your dad sounds like he is still in good shape for someone who was diagnosed 25 years ago. Don't be caught off guard though if he does suddenly have an attack, but be thankful that he has come this far without much disturbance.Health Question & Answer
The different subtypes are:
-relapsing remitting (unpredictable episodes)
-secondary progressive (went from relapsing remitting to not having remission time)
-primary progressive (steadily getting worse)
-progressive relapsing (steadily getting worse with attacks in between)
Your dad sounds like he is still in good shape for someone who was diagnosed 25 years ago. Don't be caught off guard though if he does suddenly have an attack, but be thankful that he has come this far without much disturbance.Health Question & Answer
Everyone's MS is different. My mom and aunt do fine with out any disease modifying MS meds, but they do take meds for some of their symptoms. They are in there 60s and 50s respectively. I'm in my 30s and I take the disease modifying drugs. I have two young children and don't want to risk have a major flair.Health Question & Answer
no, MS is MS, the variable here is the human body, some are less impacted than others.Health Question & Answer