About Mutiple Sclerosis (MS)
What is MS?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system. An estimated 55,000–75,000 Canadians have MS, and about 3 more are diagnosed every day.
Learn more about COPAXONE®, the first non-interferon drug therapy indicated for the treatment of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS)
The Central Nervous System
MS is a disease of the central nervous system (CNS), which includes the nerves, spinal cord, and brain. MS research continues to help us better understand the disease, such as knowing that MS involves both inflammation and the loss of nerve cells (neurodegeneration).
Inflammation and neurodegeneration
The body’s immune system normally fights off harmful invaders such as disease-causing bacteria and viruses, and helps keep body tissues healthy. But in autoimmune disease, the immune system mistakenly begins to attack the body’s own tissue, for reasons that are not fully understood. MS is believed to be an autoimmune disease of the CNS.
In MS, the immune system attacks the body’s myelin, which is the covering or “insulation” around the nerve cells (neurons). This causes inflammation, which damages the myelin. Without their protective layer, the nerve cells themselves can be damaged (neurodegeneration).
Our growing knowledge of these 2 faces of MS is changing the way the disease is diagnosed and treated.