You wrote: "My sister was diagnosed with
MS (relapsing remitting) 9 years ago. Her
conditon started getting noticeably worse
about 5 years ago. She has tried Avonex,
betaferon and copaxone but cannot tolerate
any of these drugs. She has recently
started taking Azathioprine, but this
isn't having any effect very quickly. Her
main symptons are extreme fatigue and
pain, mostly down one side. She also has
problems with balance and stability, and
short term memory loss which may be due to
the pain killers (codeine and opiates)."
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune
disease. During autoimmune diseases, the
immune system attacks some of the body's
own structures causing inflammation. In
case of multiple sclerosis, the immune
system attacks the myelin coverings of the
nerves and nerve tracts. During MS, as in
all autoimmune diseases, the provoker is
not known and there exists no etiological
therapy. There is only a therapy that will
suppress the immune process and calm
inflammation. Immuno-suppressive therapy
is not specific for any autoimmune
disease. In other words, the same
immunosuppressive drugs are used for many
autoimmune diseases. Corticosteroids and
chemotherapeutic drugs are the most common
immuno-suppressive drugs used for
treatment of these conditions. The
prognosis of MS is variable and
unfortunately progressive even with
therapy. You can consult a neurologist for
an expert opinion.
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