New Findings on Multiple Sclerosis

In the summer, patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) suffer more, which may be due to a deficiency in melatonin. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease where the immune sheaths of myelin are damaged. The affected cells are in the brain and spinal cord, and the consequences of the disease can vary widely from visual disturbances to fatigue, paralysis, and sensory disorders in the limbs. Asunta Dalbianco, a neurologist at the Medical University of Vienna, states that in the early stages of the disease, its manifestation is in the form of attacks. Therefore, the number and severity of these attacks differ among patients. Environmental factors also affect the course of the disease. Studies have shown that light is influential, and patients suffer more in spring and summer compared to autumn and winter. Lutz Harms, a neurologist at Charité University in Berlin, suggests that this may be due to a disruption in melatonin levels, a hormone produced in the pineal gland that helps regulate the body's sleep-wake cycle. The amount of melatonin produced largely depends on the amount of light. If the weather is bright and the sun is shining, melatonin production decreases. Thus, in summer, the melatonin levels in most people are lower than in winter. In MS patients, some immune system cells, specifically T lymphocytes, are misdirected. Instead of supporting the immune system in its function, they identify body tissue as a potentially pathogenic foreign entity and attack it. Harms notes that higher levels of melatonin in the body seem to reduce the activity of these harmful cells. Researchers have also shown that daily injections of five milligrams of this hormone for 90 days have led to improved general health in MS patients. However, more precise human studies are needed to examine the immune effects of this hormone. The use of this hormone is a good option for MS patients suffering from insomnia. Harms states that this treatment method should be discussed with the treating physician. Currently, 16 types of drugs are prescribed for treating MS. Given that there is no specific factor for contracting this disease, no special treatment plan is provided for each patient. In fact, the only difference among patients is the number and severity of attacks, which can be mild, moderate, or severe. Dr. Thomas Berger, a neurologist and head of the MS clinic in Innsbruck, Austria, states that we cannot cure the disease. Our goal is to stop the attacks. Current medications work effectively for 80 to 90 percent of patients on average, so we do not need new drugs. What we lack is a classified and systematic treatment that allows us to propose a treatment method for each patient. For this, we need a reliable biomarker. A biomarker in medicine is a measurable indicator for diagnosing a disease, which sometimes also indicates the severity of the disease. Dr. Berger added that public sensitivity to the disease has increased over the past 25 years, and thus the diagnosis of the disease among individuals aged 20 to 30 has also increased. He emphasized that the rising prevalence of the disease in Middle Eastern countries, the Arab world, and South America is something that should be taken into account. The number of women with MS worldwide is four times that of men.