2023-05-30 14:03:00
Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects 55,000 people in Spain, 1 million in Europe and 2.8 million in the world, approximately. And it occurs more frequently -more than double- in women than in men; specifically, in those that have between 20 and 30 years. Thus, it constitutes one of the main causes of disability in young people.
This disease damages the membranes that line the nervous system fibers central, causing poor communication between the brain and the rest of the body. The symptoms vary greatly depending on the patient, but can manifest as:
- Problems coordinating movements
- tremor in the extremities
- loss of balance
- Muscle spasms
- Tingling, itching, or burning sensation in the arms and legs
In addition, at an advanced level it can cause partial or total loss of ability to walk.
What is kissing disease and what are the symptoms
HOW DOES IT AFFECT young women?
There is no evidence about the reasons why multiple sclerosis is a more frequent disease in women. However, the data presented in the study White Paper on Multiple Sclerosis in Spain confirm that women represent the 75% of diagnoses.
37% of the women decided not to have children or changed the timing of having them after diagnosis.
Although the symptoms experienced by men are similar, some experts argue that menstruation, pregnancy and menopause can influence when experiencing the disease. In this sense, multiple sclerosis appears in childbearing age and this means that it affects women not only on a physiological levelbut also vital. “The disease can cause physical and cognitive impairment that can influence decisions about maternity“, affirms the study. In fact, 37% of women decided not to have children or changed the timing of having them after being diagnosed with MS.
In addition, the mistakes and delays in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis are also more frequent in women, which causes a uncertainty that does not collaborate with the well-being of the patients. And something that the study also highlights is that, in terms of how the disease affects the Laboral lifethere is double unemployment in women with multiple sclerosis.
Fear of job loss causes more than 30% of people diagnosed with don’t talk about your condition. And for those who say so, only in 20% of cases do patients have services that help them to continue developing their professional activity.
Can multiple sclerosis be prevented or cured?
Multiple sclerosis is not contagious or deadly. But to this day there is no cure either. What do exist are treatments that help alleviate or delay the effects of the disease.
The experts recommendnot only to prevent MS but as a general habit: exercise frequently, control your weight, not smoke, avoid alcohol consumption and control high blood pressure.
And with respect to rehabilitation services, the study proposes several lines of action to Improve Life Quality of multiple sclerosis patients: “Policies and practices for equality and non-discrimination are a fundamental point. It is necessary to understand and recognize the invisible effects of multiple sclerosis in the processes of assessing disability, and the guarantee to the access to a comprehensive, personalized, free and continuous rehabilitation treatment in all the autonomous communities”, he concludes.
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