Multiple sclerosis: pathology of the central nervous system Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that commonly affects individuals aged 20 to 40 years. While men with MS tend to have a more rapidly progressing disease, women are more likely than men to develop it. MS comes in many forms due to the extent of damage and number of lesions, as well as how quickly it progresses. All of this collectively forms the MS community today and has resulted in new testing methods and new forms of treatment being developed to help relieve symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. This research paper will examine what causes MS to develop in a person, what is happening in the body causing the symptoms experienced, the objective and subjective outcomes of MS, and pharmaceutical and natural treatment options. The pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis is distinguished as a chronic autoimmune disease leading to demyelination of the central nervous system. The ultimate problem is that the myelin in the central nervous system becomes inflamed and scarred, which has massive effects on the individual. Huether and McCance (2012) explain in detail what multiple sclerosis means: it is a multifactorial disease, meaning it occurs when a person is genetically predisposed to developing MS and then develops a virus in the nervous system. Demyelination and inflammation of the central nervous system are caused by plasma cells, B cells, T cells and pro-inflammatory cytokines and cause scarring and axon degeneration, which is unfortunately irreversible. Besides the central inflammation caused by the disease, there are also injuries throughout the CNS that are classified as ...... middle of paper ......ve symptoms associated with the disease. Other natural options for people include dietary changes, daily exercise, massage, and herbal remedies, to name a few. There are still unknowns about MS, but great progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis, which is helping people with the disease every day. References Alnar, O. (2009). Treatment of multiple sclerosis. CNS and neurological disorders - Drug Targest, 8 (3), 167-174.Cantorna, M. (2006). Vitamin D and its role in immunology: multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel diseases. Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, 92, (1), 60-64. Huether, SE, McCance, KL (2012). Understand the pathophysiology. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Inc. Wilson, S., Giddens, J. Health Assessment for Nursing Practice. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Inc..