Multiple sclerosis (MS)
MSMultiple sclerosis is a chronic immune-mediated disease in which the protective myelin coating of nerves in the brain and spinal cord is damaged.
The damage disrupts signals between the brain and body, producing symptoms that vary widely depending on where lesions form: fatigue, numbness, vision loss in one eye, weakness, balance problems, bladder changes and muscle stiffness or spasticity. Most people have a relapsing-remitting course with flare-ups followed by partial recovery, while others experience gradual progression. Onset is typically between twenty and forty, and women are affected more often than men.
Diagnosis combines the clinical history with MRI showing lesions separated in space and time, and sometimes spinal fluid analysis. Neurologists manage the disease with disease-modifying therapies and symptom-focused care. Cannabinoids have been studied for spasticity and pain in this condition, and a prescription cannabis-derived mouth spray is approved in some countries outside the United States but not by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.