
How Does an Abnormal Immune System Contribute to the Causes of Multiple Sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition affecting the nervous system, especially the brain, spinal cord, and the nerves. It is a chronic disorder that causes weakness of the muscles or paralysis, muscle stiffness, blurred vision, and even blindness. An abnormally functioning immune system has been found to play a role in triggering the causes of Multiple Sclerosis.
Multiple Sclerosis occurs due to damage to the myelin sheath of the nerves as a result of which their ability to carry impulses is hampered. The damage to the myelin results in the formation of a scar or sclerosis. Hence, Multiple Sclerosis means the development of scar tissues in multiple nerves of the body. As the disease progresses, the lesions get worse resulting in the breakage of the nerve fibers.
The signs and symptoms of this disease include a difficulty in emptying the bladder, increased frequency of urination, constipation, bowel incontinence, loss of cognitive functions, reduced memory and attention span, speech impairment and spasticity and spasm of the muscles.
In this article, we will discuss the immunological causes of Multiple Sclerosis and why it is important to correct the underlying abnormalities to control the symptoms of this disease.
The immunologically regulated causes of Multiple Sclerosis
Altered T helper cell differentiation pathways
Research conducted to evaluate the genetic make-up of a person in the pathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis has revealed the role of the immune system in the development of this disease. The results of this study have indicated that the T helper cell differentiation pathways, which are regulated by the immune system, are hampered in patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. There was strong evidence indicating the association of Multiple Sclerosis with an abnormally functioning immune system, particularly the T helper cell differentiation pathways acting on the cell surface receptors. These findings indicate the need for taking steps to correct underlying immunological abnormalities to control the causes of Multiple Sclerosis.Autoimmune disorder
Multiple Sclerosis is autoimmune in nature as it is triggered due to a faulty immune system that attacks normal tissues like the myelin sheaths. The autoimmune causes of Multiple Sclerosis trigger inflammatory changes in the nervous system resulting in the demyelination of the nerves. It also results in the degenerative changes in the tissues of the nervous system due to which the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis become worse. The autoimmune factor that contributes to the development of Multiple Sclerosis has been found to worsen due to the abnormal functioning of the innate immune system. The role of the innate immune system in the pathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis has been proven in multiple research studies. The studies showed abnormal anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory functions of DCs, NK cells, microglial cells and NK-T cells in patients diagnosed with this disease. Hence, it was concluded that immunotherapeutic interventions may provide an effective treatment for the management of Multiple Sclerosis.