CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISM OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Multipla skleroza je upalna autoimunosna bolest te se ubraja u skupinu demijelinizacijskih bolesti središnjeg živčanog sustava. Kod multiple skleroze dolazi do razaranja mijelinske ovojnice, a kasnije su oštećeni akson i neuron. Bolest zahvaća osobe u dobi između 18. i 50. godine, a pojavnost bolesti je više u žena, nego u muškaraca. Čimbenici rizika za razvoj multiple skleroze su autoimunosne karakteristike osobe, genski te okolišni čimbenici. Bolest je karakterizirana brojnim simptomima, a najjednostavnije se mogu podijeliti u dvije skupine: kao simptomi ispada te paroksizmalni simptomi. Multipla skleroza dijagnosticira se kliničkim neurološkim pregledom uvidom u kliničke simptome, a tijek njihovog razvoja promatra se MR-om mozga i kralježnične moždine, analizom cerebrospinalnog likvora te vidnim evociranim potencijalima (VEP). Najčešći oblik multiple skleroze jest relapsno remitirajući tijek bolesti. Liječenje je generalno usmjereno na ublažavanje simptoma te sprječavanje progresije bolesti.Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory autoimmune disease and belongs to a group of diseases that cause demyelination in central nervous system. Destruction of myelin sheath, damage of axon and neuron are things that occur in multiple sclerosis. The disease affects people between 18 and 50 and incidence of the disease is higher in female population than in male population. Risk factors for development of multiple sclerosis are autoimmune characteristics of an individual, genetic and environmental factors. The disease is characterized by multiple symptoms simply divided in two groups: disfunction and paroxysmal symptoms. Multiple sclerosis is diagnosed by neurological examination of clinical symptoms and the course of their development is observed by brain and spinal cord MRI, cerebrospinal fluid analysis and visual evoked potentials (VEP). Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis is a form of the disease that occurs the most. The treatment of multiple sclerosis is generally directed at symptom relief and preventing the progression of the disease