Understanding of MS

As a caregiver, it's important you understand as much as possible about multiple sclerosis. Your understanding of MS, its symptoms and its impact can help you better support your loved one when flare-ups occur or times become difficult. See What is multiple sclerosis? to learn more about the disease.

You should also know that your loved one should begin multiple sclerosis treatment as soon as possible. MRI shows that nerve damage caused by multiple sclerosis in the central nervous system begins early in the disease. Over time this underlying damage to the brain and spinal cord may become permanent, leading to physical disability or cognitive impairment. This is why it is so important that you support your loved one's efforts to stay on treatment.

Although no one can predict when, or if, there will be a cure for multiple sclerosis, there is much reason to be hopeful about the future. The ongoing advances in research are occurring at a faster rate than ever before and continue to add to our understanding of how MS works and progresses. It's this constant quest for knowledge that will guide us to the next generation of treatments, and hopefully, a cure.

One thing is certain: a person with multiple sclerosis who takes a proactive approach, and who has the support of someone like you, can make a positive impact on how he or she manages the disease and ultimately, on the quality of his or her life.

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