The president of the Balearic Islands Government, Marga Prohenshas revealed that she suffers from multiple sclerosis. She has done it this Tuesday 4 at the preview of the short film ‘Today is not always’, which was presented at the Pereyra Theater in Ibiza, as part of the event ‘A thousand ways to fight: an inspiring meeting’. What is this little known disease about?
Prohens detailed that she received the diagnosis at 19 and that she did not tell it before “not to hide it, out of modesty, because I am well, I was diagnosed quickly”. In addition, she thanked the progress of medicine and health care in the treatment of the disease that afflicts her, but she emphasized one of the most difficult aspects of this disease for those who suffer from it: “I was diagnosed very quickly”. This cannot be cured. It is always with you “.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) or plaque sclerosis: what it is and symptoms
The Mayo Clinic, a world-renowned nonprofit research and education organization, states on its website that “multiple sclerosis is a disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) that can lead to disability. Also referred to simply by its acronym, MS, or known as plaque sclerosis or “the disease of a thousand faces,” is an autoimmune disease:“The immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body. Over time, the disease can lead to deterioration or permanent damage to the nerve fibers.” Multiple sclerosis can present with different stages or degrees depending on each case, and therefore the symptoms vary, which “depend on the location and severity of the damage to the nerve fiber in the central nervous system”. “Some people with advanced multiple sclerosis may lose the ability to walk unaided or completely. Others may have long periods of remission with no new symptoms, depending on the type of multiple sclerosis they have,” the Mayo Clinic’s official website states.
Fight against MS in Spain
The non-profit association Esclerosis Múltiple España is “a meeting, exchange and continuous learning space for people with Multiple Sclerosis and their environment, organizations of people with MS, social and health professionals…”. On their website they warn that the symptoms of this disease are “as unique as each person” and that “early symptoms are often difficult to identify and, moreover, difficult to explain to others”. Among them are vision problems, tingling and numbness, pain and spasms, fatigue or weakness, balance problems, dizziness, urinary problems, sexual dysfunction, cognitive problems. Fatigue, tremors, speech disorders and more are among the most visible. It should be noted that the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF) established May 30 as World Multiple Sclerosis Day. In Spain and other countries around the world, this is a day to raise awareness and funds for research and treatments against this condition. “In April 2019, the Medical Advisory Committee of EME estimated that more than 55,000 people in Spain have Multiple Sclerosis (…) it is the second cause of disability among young people after car accidents,” specifies the organization with data from the Spanish Society of Neurology.
