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MS is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord of victims. To explain it simply, the immune system attacks what is known as white matter, the cells responsible for sending signals between the gray matter areas. To get a bit more detailed, MS breaks down oligodendrocytes, the cells responsible for making and maintaining a fatty layer, known as the myelin sheath, which helps the neurons carry electrical signals.
The tissue that is destroyed does repair itself but cannot wholly recover, leading to scars and a thinning of the myelin sheath as new attacks occur. This is where the name "Multiple Sclerosis" comes from, "sclerosis" being a derivative of the French word "scleroses" (for scars, better known as plaques or lesions).
There are treatments to help treat and delay some of the effects of MS but it is a disease that does not yet have a cure.
If you are interested in more information about MS, visit the MS Society of Canada's website here
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