Multiple Sclerosis is an inflammatory disease that affects the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord and prevents them from communicating with each other. Galloping MS, also known as Progressive MS is one of the subtypes of MS. A quarter of the people affected by MS are affected by this variant.
What is Galloping MS
There are no specific symptoms of MS. In fact it has a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms. Its onset is usually at an early age and women are more prone to this disease. Due to reasons that have not been identified by researchers as yet, the body’s immune system attacks and damages the protective covering of the nerves called myelin. Once the myelin is damaged, it can no longer effectively send or receive signals from the brain. The cause still remains unknown. Research shows that it could be because of genetics, infections, environmental risk factors or a combination of these. The symptoms are neurological and usually lead to physical or cognitive disability. New symptoms are brief initially but slowly become progressive over time. The latter is referred to as galloping MS.
Permanent effects of MS that lead to Galloping MS
Though the attacks or symptoms may appear to go away, permanent neurological problems often occur as the disease advances. Common symptoms include muscle weakness, loss of sensitivity or numbness, visual and speech impairment, chronic pain, urine and bowel difficulties, depression and unstable moods. The life expectancy of a person affected by MS is between 5 to 10 years lower than that of an unaffected person. The prognosis is often difficult to predict and depends to a large extent on the subtype of the disease, the person’s individual disease characteristics along with the level of disability as time passes. The average time frame between the onsets of MS to the stage where it progresses to galloping MS is 19 years. The average number of years from the onset to death through MS is 30.
Cure for galloping MS
There is no medical cure for relapsing or galloping MS that can be rolled out commercially. However, research is underway and it is only a matter of time before a breakthrough is made. The prevalent treatment and medication is primarily to stop worsening of the disease and preventing disability. These have been found to be modestly effective in most cases. However, they have several adverse side-effects and are, invariably, poorly tolerated. Some patients opt for alternative medicines even though there is no supporting scientific evidence to prove that it helps in combating MS. Some of the common examples are dietary regimen and herbal medication. Galloping MS is more difficult to contain than relapsing MS.
