Understanding Multiple Sclerosis (Understanding Health and Sickness Series)

149 Pages·2006·0.9 MB·English

by  Melissa

Understanding Multiple Sclerosis
Understanding Health and Sickness
Miriam Bloom, Ph.D.
General Editor
Understanding
Multiple Sclerosis
Melissa Stauffer, Ph.D.
University Press of Mississippi
Jackson
www.upress.state.ms.us
The University Press of Mississippi is a member of the Association of
American University Presses.
Copyright © 2006 by University Press of Mississippi
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
First edition 2006
∞
Illustrations by Alan Estridge
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Stauffer, Melissa.
Understanding multiple sclerosis / Melissa Stauffer.
p. ; cm. — (Understanding health and sickness series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-57806-802-9 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 1-57806-803-7
(pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Multiple sclerosis—Popular works.
[DNLM: 1. Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive—diagnosis—
Popular Works. 2. Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive—therapy—
Popular Works. WL 360 S798u 2006] I. Title. II. Understanding
health and sickness series.
RC377.S73 2006
616.8(cid:2)34—dc22 2005018088
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
This book is affectionately dedicated to my sister, Heather,
an MSsurvivor.
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
1. Who Gets MS and Why? 3
2. What is MS? 16
3. Symptoms and Diagnosis of MS 29
4. MS Treatments 43
5. Living with MS 60
6. The Search for a Cure 73
Appendices
A. Internet Resources 88
B. Organizations 90
C. MS Treatment Centers 92
Glossary 124
Index 133
This page intentionally left blank
Acknowledgments
I thank my editor, Miriam Bloom, for her patience with
this fledgling writer; my mother, Carolyn Pohl, for her sugges-
tions for improving the glossary; and my scientific mentor,
Walter Chazin, for recognizing my ability to write and encour-
agingme to do so. Special thanks go to Dr. Harold Moses, Jr.,
and Dr. John Bright, both of Vanderbilt University, for review-
ingthe manuscript and making valuable suggestions.