At Present There Is No Treatment Available For Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

According to Dr. Zajicek, progressive multiple sclerosis results due to the death of the nerve cells. Researchers all over the world are desperately trying to find out a drug which can exert some neuro-protective action. Currently, the treatment options available for multiple sclerosis focus on the immune system in the early phases of the disease and work towards providing relief from symptoms like muscular spasticity, problems of the bladder and extreme fatigue associated with multiple sclerosis. However, no drug with a neuro-protective action has been found.

Some researchers believe that the dose of marijuana used in the CUPID study was not adequate or the patients were given marijuana too late in the course of their disease to make any significant difference in the progression of the disease. Further studies are required in this field before any definite opinion can be made about the role of medical marijuana on the slowing of progressive multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the nervous system

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the nerve fibres of the brain and the spinal cord. The myelin sheath surrounding the nerves, which is responsible for the conduction of electrical impulses from the brain and protects the neuron, is damaged in the disease. As a result, the patient suffers from impaired vision, and problems with muscle movement and balancing.

Some of the common symptoms which help in identifying multiple sclerosis include:

• Loss of vision commonly affecting a single eye
• Muscular spasm
• Ataxia, a condition in which the patient experiences difficulty in balancing and co-ordination.
• Extreme fatigue lasting throughout the day

Read More: New, FDA-Approved Multiple Sclerosis Drug

Treatment of multiple sclerosis

At present, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis though medications are available to provide relief from symptoms. Steroids form the mainstay of the treatment. They work by suppressing the overactive immune system of the patient. Besides steroids, the patients of multiple sclerosis are often advised physiotherapy. This is to get relief from the bothersome muscular spasticity associated with the disease. However, as the disease progresses and the symptoms get worsened, there is no medication to treat the disease.

Similarly, 2 out of 10 patients who suffer from progressive multiple sclerosis right from the onset of the disease do not have any treatment option available to them to get relief from the symptoms. It is this sub-group of patients who is waiting anxiously for the development of a miracle drug which may help them out of their misery. These patients are living with the hope that one day scientists will be successful in finding a neuro-protective drug which will halt the progression of multiple sclerosis.