Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease in which the nerves of the brain and spinal cord progressively degenerate. Inflammation causes the covering of the nerves, or myelin, to degenerate and eventually damages the nerves themselves. This injury to the central nervous system is manifested by changes in the motor and sensory functions of the body.

The cause of MS is still unknown, but current research has focused upon the body’s immune system and genetics. People with MS might have a virus or abnormal gene that alters the myelin, causing their immune system to perceive the myelin as a foreign object and attack it. Interferon is the current primary drug used to treat patients with MS to reduce the frequency of attacks and slow the disease’s advance.

Symptoms of MS

Symptoms vary in MS patients, ranging from mild and inconvenient to severe and debilitating. Some people report numbness in their limbs while others suffer from loss of vision or paralysis. Every individual experiences a unique combination of symptoms, the progress and severity of which cannot be predicted. However, there is a direct correlation between the location of myelin and nerve damage and the resulting motor or sensory bodily functional problems.

Current research has shown that not all symptoms affect all patients, no two people report the same complaints and no individual suffers from all of the symptoms. And while some symptoms are continuous others are periodic. Most MS patients report an “episodic” pattern of attacks and remissions in relation to the symptoms that occur.

The most common MS symptoms include numbness, fatigue, weakness, spasticity, loss of balance, loss of bladder and bowel control, loss of vision, tremors and depression.

Only 25 percent become dependent upon using a wheelchair for mobility. Some patients lose their balance and muscle coordination, having difficulty in walking, while others suffer from slurred speech and loss of bladder control.

Because the symptoms that define the clinical picture of MS are the result of nerve lesions causing disturbances in electrical conduction in one or more areas of the CNS, the nature of the symptoms that occur is determined by the location of the lesion. For example: an optic nerve lesion may cause blurred vision; a brain stem lesion may cause dizziness or double vision; a spinal cord lesion may cause coordination/balance problems.

Products for Multiple Sclerosis

Mobility products are available for MS patients that offer a full range of options from canes and walkers for stability and support while walking to power electric vehicles that provide mobility for those who can no longer walk. These include:

Incontinence products are available in disposable and reusable options for small amounts of leakage or complete loss of urine and bowel control. These include:

Bathroom safety products enable independence in toileting by providing the means for stability, transferring and rising. These include: