A 40-year-old Caucasian woman of Northern European descent comes to your office with complaints of numbness on her left side and an unsteady gait. She’s also had tingling when she bends her neck forward, fatigue, dizziness, and occasional slurred speech. Her mother had multiple sclerosis that was diagnosed when she was 46 years old.
1. Your patient wants to know if she has multiple sclerosis. What will you tell her regarding her symptoms, family history (genetic predisposition), triggers, etc.
2. What is the pathology of multiple sclerosis?
3. What is the long-term course of the disease?