Aspects of Multiple Sclerosis

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Background and Significance of the Disease
Surveillance and Reporting
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Multiple sclerosis is a neurological disease that damages the nerve cells in the central nervous system. It is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord, causing various symptoms such as visual issues, arm or leg mobility, sensation, or balance problems (NHS, 2022). The ailment is getting increasingly common, with one million Americans now suffering from it as shown by statistics (Koskie, 2020). Surveillance techniques such as the National Neurological Conditions Surveillance System have been implemented to assess the trend and impact of this condition. However, healthcare providers are urged to perform a series of diagnostic tests to improve accuracy and avoid misdiagnosis for treatment purposes. This paper will provide a background of multiple sclerosis, surveillance, epidemiology analysis, and action plan.

Background and Significance of the Disease

Definition and Description

Multiple sclerosis, caused by a neural system malfunction, is a life-changing disease that affects many aspects of a person’s life. It is characterized by nerve inflammation, which damages the myelin surrounding axons and results in rigid plaques of damaged tissue (NHS, 2022). This generates a slew of problems since myelin insulates electrical signals and is essential to the correct functioning of nerves. The types of multiple sclerosis are clinically isolated syndrome, relapse-remitting, primary progressive, and secondary progressive (NHS, 2022). In addition, since an infection causes the disease, treatments by incorporating drugs and nutritional supplements show significant potential for curing people living with multiple sclerosis.

Symptoms and Symptoms

Multiple sclerosis is accompanied by a variety of indications and symptoms, which differs from one person to another. Numbness and electric shock sensations are common sign of movement problems. One side of the body at a time, or the legs and trunk, may have numbness or paralysis. Electric shock feelings are associated with certain neck motions, particularly forward bending of the neck (NHS, 2022). Furthermore, vision issues are thought to be one of the first indicators of multiple sclerosis. Double or blurred vision and partial or total vision loss may occur in some persons. The optic nerve inflammation can cause pain as the eye moves. Fatigue is also another sign experienced when an individual has multiple sclerosis. Thus, the symptoms are manifestations of multiple sclerosis apparent to the patients.

Incidence and Prevalence

Multiple sclerosis is becoming a widespread neurological health problem for young adults. According to recent data from a National MS Society study, almost one million individuals in the US have multiple sclerosis. The statistic is more than double the previously reported figure, and it is the first national study of multiple sclerosis prevalence since 1975 (Koskie, 2020). Society also estimates that about two million persons worldwide have multiple sclerosis. MS prevalence increases as one moves further from the equator. The rate of multiple sclerosis in the southern US is estimated to be between 57 and 78 cases per 100,000 individuals (Koskie, 2020). Northern US has a twice as high rate because it is far from the equator. The incidence of multiple sclerosis is higher in cooler climates, and people living in these areas are at the greatest risk. However, I was unable to find data on my state and others on the prevalence of multiple sclerosis. Therefore, there is a need for future research to focus on this area and fill the gap.

Surveillance and Reporting

National Neurological Conditions Surveillance System

For millions of people of all ages in the US, neurological illnesses and conditions have significant and often disastrous implications. In order to address this issue, Congress approved the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to begin developing a National Neurological Conditions Surveillance System (NNCSS) in 2016 (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Beginning in the fiscal year 2019, the CDC has been allocated funds to run the surveillance. The NNCSS is an integrated system that tracks the epidemiology of neurological conditions by utilizing cutting-edge data sources, tools, and analytic methodologies. The main purpose of the surveillance system is to generate actionable and timely information to improve awareness of neurological diseases and stimulate study into causation, assessment, and therapy.

NNCSS was established to generate useful estimates of neurological conditions in the US. In the initial stages of the project, the NNCSS concentrated on predicting incidence and mortality for two test diseases, namely Parkinson’s disease (PD) and multiple sclerosis (MS). It also focused on establishing an approach that may be used for the surveillance of a wide range of neurological conditions (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). In addition, the system obtains its data conventional and modern data sources. Conventional data sources are from the national center for health statistics, hospital discharge, claims from Medicare, Medicaid, and death and live births. On the other hand, modern data sources are electronic health records (EHR), electronic case reporting, collaboration with clinical networks, and many more. Therefore, the NNCSS exists to provide important information on multiple sclerosis and other conditions.

Multiple Sclerosis Surveillance Registry

The Multiple Sclerosis Surveillance Registry (MSSR) is a multiple sclerosis database created by the Veterans Health Administration of the US in 2013. (VHA). During live or virtual visits, providers are tasked with collecting data on essential demographic and clinical variables associated with multiple sclerosis and directly inserting them into the database (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). In addition, the MSSR now features an interactive interface for retrieving data based on pre-defined queries. For example, people can receive de-identified data on the number of multiple types of sclerosis administered and approved by the Drug Administration (FDA). In addition, the information received by the people receives accurate and up-to-date information from the registry. Based on this, surveillance helps people to understand multiple sclerosis.

MSSR was created to better identify the specific symptoms and treatment trends of Veterans with MS in order to improve their care in the VA system. Clinicians enter MS-specific clinical data into the MSSR either via CPRS-linked MS Assessment Tool (MSAT) or directly from the MSSR website page (Cameron et al., 2020). The other information is loaded into the MSSR automatically from existing databases. In addition, the MSSR enables multiple sclerosis clinics to view summary data charts for all Veterans with multiple sclerosis and review history for particular patients. As a result, healthcare providers and Veterans are provided with a wealth of information about multiple sclerosis.

Social Media Surveillance of Multiple Sclerosis

Social Media Surveillance of Multiple Sclerosis was established to collect information about the use of multiple sclerosis on social media. With the rise and use of technology and social media platforms such as Facebook, it is now easy to connect with people from across the globe and monitor their health (Rezaallah et al., 2019). In this surveillance, the main platform for understanding the use of multiple sclerosis is social media. People usually use online platforms and forums to seek information as well as provide information. As a result, several posts on an identified health problem are generated to attract comments. In addition, groups are formed on social media to help during discussions on multiple sclerosis.

Epidemiological Analysis

Table 1: Epidemiology Analysis of Multiple Sclerosis

Epidemiological factors	Description
Who	People can develop multiple sclerosis at any age, but the onset usually happens at about 20 and 40 years. Both younger and older individuals are prone to health issues (NHS, 2022). Women are more likely to get relapsing-remitting compared to men.
What	The cause of multiple sclerosis is still not known.
Where	Multiple sclerosis is more common in areas with cold or temperate climates, such as Canada, the northern United States, New Zealand, southeastern Australia, and Europe (NHS, 2022).
When	Time is crucial in describing illness because it enables an individual to determine whether incidence rates. Multiple sclerosis has increased over the years in the US. For example, in 2013, it was 30% and 35% in 2020 per 100,000 people (NHS, 2022).
Why	The increase in multiple sclerosis can be attributed to genetically sensitive individuals being exposed to more environmental risk factors, increased survival rates, and improved assessment.

Multiple sclerosis comes with the economic and social cost of an individual, family, guardians, and others. The economic cost is the value of monetary resources forgone due to multiple sclerosis. It is estimated that a privately insured individual would spend about $30,000 annually (Owens, 2016). However, because the cost of multiple sclerosis varies with severity, an individual can spend up to $60,000 every year. Apart from economic cost, there is also social cost linked with multiple sclerosis. This condition has a negative impact on the social life of an individual. For example, a person may have a speech problem, making it challenging for them to communicate with others. Therefore, multiple sclerosis results in economic and social costs.

Screening and Guidelines

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is one of the screening tests used to diagnose multiple sclerosis. This test looks for areas of damage (lesions) in the brain or the spinal. The lesion is usually caused by damage to the myelin sheath around the nerves. The sensitivity of diagnosing multiple sclerosis using MRI within a year after an attack is about 94%, whereas its specificity is 83%. On the other hand, the negative predictive value of an MRI scan at presentation is 97%. An MRI of the brain can cost an individual $826 to $4,780 (Tobias, 2018). The cost depends on whether the test is done in a hospital or an imaging center. MRI can provide an accurate result when diagnosing multiple sclerosis.

Plan

A plan is an integral tool in care because it provides the guideline that would help address multiple sclerosis. After graduation, the nurse understands multiple sclerosis in the health care context. The following strategies would be used to assess the perception to have the condition (NHS, 2022). First, the nurse would interview the person and family to understand the symptoms. Second, physically assess the patient, as they frequently reveal the likely etiology of the condition. By assessing the patient, the nurse would obtain essential information to assist in the treatment. Third, another diagnosis type, which reveals overactive deep confirm the identified signs and symptoms. These stages form the basis of identifying the problem to enable treatment.

During diagnosis, the nurse would perform a number of screening tests, especially when the test turns negative. Currently, there is no screening test that can accurately detect multiple sclerosis. For example, the screening tests are MRI, lumbar puncture, evoked potentials, and blood test (NHS, 2022). For accuracy, it would be important for the nurse to use more than one test, such as MRI and evoked potentials. An intervention will be deemed useful if it achieves the intended purpose. If the lesion is detected, the nurse will give the patient medicine to help control the condition because there is currently no cure. Disease modification therapies would be adopted to assist with the situation.

Conclusion

Multiple sclerosis is becoming a health problem and requires attention. It is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, resulting in various signs such as problems with vision, arm or leg mobility, feeling, or balance. The condition is becoming more prevalent because the number of individuals with multiple sclerosis in the US is now one million. Due to its economic and social cost, healthcare providers need to help manage the situation. To understand the trend and impact of this condition, surveillance techniques such as National Neurological Conditions Surveillance System have been adopted. However, for treatment purposes, healthcare providers are advised to use a series of diagnostic tests to increase accuracy and avoid misdiagnosis. For example, a nurse can use MRI and adopt others, especially if a negative result is obtained. Therefore, multiple sclerosis should be given the attention it deserves.

References

Cameron, M. H., Haselkorn, J. K., & Wallin, M. T. (2020). The Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence: a model of excellence in the VA.Federal Practitioner, 37(1), S6. Web.

Center for Disease control and Prevention. (2022). National Neurological Conditions Surveillance System (NNCSS) | CDC. CDC Website.

Koskie, B. (2020). Multiple sclerosis: facts, statistics, and you. Healthline. Web.

NHS. (2022). Multiple sclerosis. NHS.UK. Web.

Owens, G. M. (2016). Economic burden of multiple sclerosis and the role of managed care organizations in multiple sclerosis management. Am J Manag Care, 22(6).

Tobias, E. (2018). Getting help paying for your MRIs. Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Web.

Rezaallah, B., Lewis, D. J., Pierce, C., Zeilhofer, H. F., & Berg, B. I. (2019). Social media surveillance of multiple sclerosis medications used during pregnancy and breastfeeding: content analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(8), 13003. Web.

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