Fatigue In Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and often disabling disease of the nervous system, affecting about 1 million people worldwide. Even though it has been known for over a hundred years, no cause or cure has yet been discovered-but now there is hope. New therapies have been shown to slow the disease progress in some patients, and the pace of discoveries about the cellular machinery of the brain and spinal cord has accelerated. This book presents a comprehensive overview of multiple sclerosis today, as researchers seek to understand its processes, develop therapies that will slow or halt the disease and perhaps repair damage, offer relief for specific symptoms, and improve the abilities of MS patients to function in their daily lives. The panel reviews existing knowledge and identifies key research questions, focusing on: Research strategies that have the greatest potential to understand the biological mechanisms of recovery and to translate findings into specific strategies for therapy. How people adapt to MS and the research needed to improve the lives of people with MS. Management of disease symptoms (cognitive impairment, depression, spasticity, vision problems, and others). The committee also discusses ways to build and financially support the MS research enterprise, including a look at challenges inherent in designing clinical trials. This book will be important to MS researchers, research funders, health care advocates for MS research and treatment, and interested patients and their families.

Dear Readers, If you are engaged in the treatment of patients with MS (pwMS), this e-book’s aim is to offer novel insights to improve on an understanding of one of the major problems of pwMS: fatigue. Although there is increasing research into fatigue and its impact on MS, this collection of ten articles supports a better understanding of fatigue in MS patients. It explores pathophysiological concepts, provoking mechanisms, objective measurements, personality interactions, pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions and summarizes clinical management. It is written by neurologists, psychologists, scientists and therapists and addresses this group of people, who deal with pwMS in private, clinical, rehabilitation or scientific settings. Its aim is to communicate high-quality information, knowledge and experience on MS to healthcare professionals, while providing global support for the international MS community.

This practical guide for physicians and other health care professionals discusses the impact of fatigue on the individual with MS, the potential etiologies underlying MS-related fatigue, its work up and diagnosis, and pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic management strategies. Fatigue is perhaps the single most prevalent and disabling symptom of the multiple sclerosis, and limits patients' activity more than any other MS symptom. The identification of fatigue as a distinct clinical entity requires both art and science, and most of all, a willingness and ability to listen carefully to patients and their families. The physician's ability to obtain a comprehensive history requires a full understanding of the circumstances in which fatigue occurs (physical, cognitive, and psychosocial) and demands consideration of a large number of disorders, including anxiety, depression, excessive daytime sleepiness, pain, and spasticity, all of which may mimic or contribute to fatigue. While fatigue is almost exclusively a subjective experience, depending on the patient's ability to understand and report this symptom, there are effective methods for identifying the existence of fatigue, determining its severity, and distinguishing it from related or contributing disorders such as depression, pain, and sleep disorders. Readers will learn that fatigue need not be tolerated by the MS patient. Various therapies, support systems, and treatment of underlying affective disorders can all alleviate fatigue or reduce its impact, restoring the patient's energy levels and ability to participate in life. Virtually every MS patient with fatigue can benefit from intervention, and failing to treat the symptom of fatigue with the respect that it deserves is a serious detriment to patient care.

This practical guide for physicians and other health care professionals discusses the impact of fatigue on the individual with MS, the potential etiologies underlying MS-related fatigue, its work up and diagnosis, and pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic management strategies.

Fatigue is a major symptom in patients with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) and is mainly responsible for unemployment, early retirement but also social withdrawal. This book combines reporting of actually existing scientific knowledge with guidance for clinical practice. As such the book helps health care professionals in all countries to better understand fatigue symptoms but also to help patients to better cope with them.

This volume describes the effects and consequences of multiple sclerosis (MS) on cognition. Authors summarize the impact of MS on behavioral problems, daily living, and related neuropsychiatric disorders, and offer clinical guidance for practitioners.

400,000 people in the U.S. alone have multiple sclerosis. Of that, 86% cite fatigue as the number one symptom of their disease. Commonly people resort to substances such as caffeine, sugar and medications to combat fatigue with mixed results and uncertain health effects. Occupational therapists teach clients "Energy Conservation Techniques" to deal with their fatigue without resorting to drugs. These approaches have been shown, through research, to have positive impacts on individual's ability to deal with this debilitating symptom of MS. The information in Fighting Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis: Practical Ways to Create New Habits and Increase Your Energy will help individuals with MS learn techniques to assist them in having more energy to do the activities they enjoy. Many people give up doing the "fun" activities in their lives in order to get through the "must dos." This book will give them the tools to manage their time and activities in order to do both. Nancy Lowenstein's expertise on fatigue management, rehabilitation and environmental modifications make this the go-to book for dealing with fatigue and multiple sclerosis.