John Graham Nov 2010
Multiple sclerosis remains a challenge for health professionals and the sufferers.
We need vigilance to detect MS as early as possible, to clarify any differential diagnosis, to understand mechanisms and to deliver safe and effective therapies.
The clinical presentations require us all to be good neurologists!
This is a disease that needs to be carefully followed at clinical and research levels.
With imaging, MRI is positive in about 95% of cases.
With established MS, MRI of the spinal cord will show changes in similarly high percentages.
In order to understand a major mechanism in MS, I provide the following basic information.
Immune cells are divided into thymus-derived cells (T lymphocytes) and bursa-derived (B lymphocytes) which respectively are involved in cell mediated and humoral (antibody) mediated immunity.
The body is patrolled by billions of T cells of which the majority appear to be dormant.
T cells must not launch attacks on the host’s own cells.
In the development of T cells, mechanisms are set up that ensure that this does not happen. In some diseases there is a breakdown in these mechanisms.….. read more on this subject
