Multiple Sclerosis

Get Email Updates

Resource Centers

Multiple Sclerosis Guide

Alison Beaver Guide

Have a question? We're here to help. Ask the Community.

ASK

Free Newsletter

Receive the latest and greatest in women's health and wellness from EmpowHER!

What Is Multiple Sclerosis? - Dr. Hendin

By Dr. Barry Hendin Expert May 27, 2010 - 11:00am
 
Rate This
0 comments View Comments

Dr. Hendin describes multiple sclerosis (MS) and explains why symptoms are unique for each patient.

More Videos from Dr. Barry Hendin 5 videos in this series

Dr. Hendin:

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is considered an autoimmune disease, and autoimmune really means that in some way the immune system that is supposed to prevent infections, fight off viruses and bacteria, somehow misinterprets the central nervous system – our brain and our spinal cord, as being alien or foreign, requiring an attack.

An attack is against one of the components of the nervous system, the myelin that coats nerves, the insulating material around nerves. It is relatively common in young adults. That means 400,000 people in America have MS, more women than men. 400,000 means about one in a thousand people, but women – two or three times more often than men.

MS symptoms manifest themselves differently for each individual based on where in the nervous system the attack occurs. So if the attack occurs in the optic nerve the presentation is with loss of vision, called optic neuritis. If the attack occurs in the brain stem, the back of the brain, it may be with double vision or incoordination. If the attack is in the spinal cord it may be with numbness or weakness below a certain point in the chest. These are common presentations, but because the central nervous system is a wide territory every individual has the possibility of their own unique attack.

About Dr. Barry Hendin, M.D.:
Dr. Hendin is a graduate of the Washington University School of Medicine. He completed his neurology residency at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. He is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology where he has served as an examiner for the Board for more than 30 years. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology where he had been honored as a fellow.

Visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Visit Dr. Hendin at Phoenix Neurology Associates

 
Rate This
0 comments View Comments

Add a CommentComments

There are no comments yet. Be the first one and get the conversation started!

Image CAPTCHA
By hitting submit, you agree to EmpowHER's terms of service and privacy policy

Improved

622 Health

Changed

294 Lives

Saved

212 Lives
3 lives impacted in the last 24 hrs Learn More

Take our Featured Poll

Do you have multiple sclerosis? :
View Results