Modern medicine has managed to attain considerable progress in the research on the most severe conditions and treatment for them. Yet, there are still diseases, which, despite being known for a long period of time, still remain a mystery to scientists and doctors. One of such diseases is multiple sclerosis which is a disabling autoimmune condition that affects the brain and the spinal cord and involves damage to insulating covers of nerve cells (Dobson & Giovannoni, 2019). Personally, I have a friend who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which makes me want to discover the key risk factors that can contribute to the development of the disease. Although researchers do not yet know the actual cause of the condition, there are certain contributing factors that can facilitate the progression of the disease.
There are several important risk factors that have to be considered when analyzing multiple sclerosis development, one of them is vitamin D deficiency. Studies showed that the lack of exposure to sunlight as well as low levels of vitamin D could contribute to the onset of the condition (Pierrot-Deseillignya & Souberbielleb, 2017). As a result, patients with multiple sclerosis are advised to receive additional vitamin D supplementation in order to improve their low levels. Another crucial factor that needs to be taken into account is weight problems, namely, obesity. People who have excessive weight issues tend to be more likely to develop the condition and experience worse symptoms (Nourbakhsh & Mowry, 2019). Therefore, it is crucial for individuals with multiple sclerosis to get exercise and have a balanced diet. Similarly, smoking is also linked to a faster progression of multiple sclerosis, and people who smoke tend to experience a sooner second event of multiple sclerosis (Nourbakhsh & Mowry, 2019). Thus, people must always be conscious of their habits and health in order to decrease the probability of developing multiple sclerosis.
The cause of the condition is unknown, but risk factors such as vitamin D deficiency, obesity, and smoking can increase the chance of developing the condition for people. Additionally, people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and exposed to one or several of the aforementioned risks factors have a higher probability of having worse symptoms and unfavorable progression of the disease. Therefore, individuals who have multiple sclerosis must be conscious of their habits and health to slow the disease.
References
Dobson, R., & Giovannoni, G. (2019). Multiple sclerosis – a review.The European Journal of Neurology, 26(1), 27–40. Web.
Nourbakhsh, B., & Mowry, E. (2019). Multiple sclerosis risk factors and pathogenesis. Multiple Sclerosis and other CNS Inflammatory Diseases, 25(3), 596–610. Web.
Pierrot-Deseillignya, C., & Souberbielleb, J. (2017). Vitamin D and multiple sclerosis: An update. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, 14, 35–45. Web.