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Home News Clinic Improves Lives of Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Clinic Improves Lives of Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Published: Tuesday, November 13, 2007

It does not affect just women. It does not affect just older people. It does not only affect people in certain locations. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can affect anyone at anytime anywhere. In fact, approximately 400,000 Americans live with MS, a potentially devastating and fatal disease. Even more surprising is the many others who don’t even know they have it.

MS is a progressive autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. MS is caused when the body’s own immune system begins attacking the nervous system, which begins to break down the myelin, the protective material that surrounds nerve cells that protects nerves and helps transmit signals throughout the body.

To assist MS patients in improving their lives, the University of Tennessee Medical Center’s Brain and Spine Institute opened its Multiple Sclerosis Clinic in the Cole Neuroscience Center. The clinic is headed by neurologist Dr. Randy Trudell and provides comprehensive evaluations, treatment and management of MS. “I am excited about this opportunity to help so many people by participating in UT Medical Center’s new multidisciplinary MS clinic,” Trudell said. “The clinic is designed to help patients with MS improve current functional limitation, as well as work to prevent future problems and flare ups.”

MS usually is diagnosed in people aged 20 to 50 with women being affected two to three times more often as men. The direct cause of MS is unknown, but researchers believe that the environment plays a role, citing that people who live in colder climates tend to develop MS more frequently.

MS symptoms may include the following.

• Blurred or double vision
• Pain behind the eye
• Muscle spasms
• Loss of muscle strength in arms and legs
• Numbness or tingling
• Dizziness
• Difficulty speaking
• Pain
• Loss of bladder and sometimes bowel control
• Sexual dysfunction
• Balance and coordination problems
• Fatigue
• Changes in cognitive function, including memory and speed of thinking
• Changes in mood
• Paralysis of one of more extremities

Some things that may trigger symptoms include fever, hot baths, sun exposure and stress.

Many of these symptoms mimic other neurologic disorders. Therefore, the only way a diagnosis can be made is by ruling out other conditions. You may need to undergo a complete medical history, nervous system function tests and diagnostic tests such as MRI.

There is no known cure for MS, but research shows that treatment can help slow the progression of MS, especially if it is started early on. The goal of MS treatments is to control the symptoms and maintain a better quality of life. Treatment may include various medications, immune modulators, steroids and various therapies such as physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and support groups.

Call your doctor if you develop any MS symptoms because he is the only one that can distinguish MS from other serious disorders such as stroke.

For more information about UT Medical Center’s MS Clinic, call 865.305.6740.

To find out more, visit the Cole Neuroscience Center or Brain and Spine Institute.