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Karolina Gruszka suffers from a chronic neurological disease known as multiple sclerosis (MS – sclerosis multiplex). “I was very lucky before I found out about the diagnosis, I knew a lot about this disease,” she admitted in DDTVN. The actress was aware that numbness, tingling sensations, and imbalances should be consulted with a doctor as soon as possible. Thanks to this, today she can live a normal life. What is MS really? What are the symptoms? And what is the revolution that has taken place in the treatment of multiple sclerosis?
- Actress Karolina Gruszka suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS). The information was shared on November 21 in “Dzień Dobry TVN”
- Due to her experience, Karolina Gruszka became involved in the NEURO mobilized social campaign, the aim of which is to increase awareness of MS.
- – When I felt the characteristic numbness, tingling on one side of my body, imbalance, the lamp came on – says Karolina Gruszka. Her hunches were confirmed
- What is life like with MS? What symptoms are better not to ignore? What is the treatment like? We explain in the text
- More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.
Karolina Gruszka suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS)
Karolina Gruszka, a well-known and much liked film and theater actress, suffers from multiple sclerosis. She found out about the diagnosis in 2017, she shared the information on November 21 in DDTVN. – I was very lucky. Before I got the diagnosis, I knew a lot about this disease – admitted Karolina Gruszka, stating that in her close surroundings there were people who experienced MS, so she knew very well what the symptoms could be.
What worried her? – When I felt the characteristic numbness, tingling on one side of my body, imbalance, the lamp came on – says Karolina Gruszka. When she noticed that the problems were getting worse, she immediately made an appointment with a neurologist. – I came for an appointment saying that I suspect I have multiple sclerosis. The doctor referred me to the hospital and within a few days my suspicion was confirmed.
Why does the actress speak of happiness? Thanks to knowledge and vigilance, it was possible to quickly detect the problem and quickly implement the treatment. This, in turn, is the basic condition for controlling MS and being able to live a normal life. – Early treatment initiation is able to completely stop the disease – says Karolina Gruszka. And she succeeded. – I take my medication twice a year and I don’t really think of myself in terms of a sick person. The problem is that multiple sclerosis can have different symptoms. To understand them, we first need to explain what MS really is.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease of the nervous system. What does it mean?
Simply put, multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS), and its essence is the incorrect transmission of nerve impulses. This disease causes damage to the myelin – a substance that insulates nerve fibers, which means that “naked” fibers are unable to conduct signals from the CNS well, which is the source of various neurological problems.
What triggers the destruction of the myelin sheaths? Unfortunately, it is still not known exactly. It is presumed that it is caused by a combination of environmental factors (including environmental pollution, smoking, vitamin D deficiency), genetic (MS development is greater in first-degree relatives than in unrelated people) and autoimmune (the body somehow attacks itself ).
Multiple sclerosis can occur at any age, but it is known that the first symptoms usually appear between the ages of 20 and 40. It is estimated that around 2,8 million people worldwide suffer from MS. In Poland – approx. 45–50 thousand. However, as we read on the website of the educational campaign NEUROzmobilizowani.pl, epidemiological data on the occurrence of MS in our country are underestimated because they come from registers kept only in some regions of the country. Data covering the entire population are missing ».
What symptoms might be about MS? Don’t ignore!
There is a reason why MS has the term “disseminated” in its name. The disorders may affect different parts of the system, and the symptoms will depend on this. – Multiple sclerosis is a very variable disease, so the symptoms can be very different – says the neurologist Prof. Krzysztof Selmaj, director of the Neurology Center in Łódź, who appeared in DDTVN together with Karolina Gruszka. So what should you pay special attention to?
As prof. Selmaj, the optic nerve is very sensitive to the changes taking place, therefore visual disturbances are very common at the beginning. – A blur in the center of vision in front of one eye, a blurry image, the impression that we are looking at the sun – all these may indicate a developing disease.
A signal of MS can also be disturbed coordination and balance, difficulties in making precise movements, especially if they affect one side of the body (this happens when the lesions have spread to the cerebellum). Another symptom that must not be ignored are paresis (usually of the lower limbs, but also of the upper limbs), as well as sensory disturbances, e.g. in several fingers.
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It is worth remembering that the symptoms of the disease are not uniform and they do not always occur with the same intensity in all patients. They most often appear as a group of disease symptoms – in some it will be paresis, in others slight hypoaesthesia. In subsequent phases, they are accompanied by sphincter disorders, emotional instability, muscle tension, dizziness and frequent falls.
What is the treatment of MS? “Progress is incredible”
– In the last two decades, treatment of multiple sclerosis has changed dramatically in favor – emphasizes Prof. Krzysztof Selmaj. “The progress is unbelievable,” he says, stressing that this way multiple sclerosis should no longer be considered a sentence.
The group of basic drugs has been joined by the so-called drugs with high efficiency. Their early application allows patients to lead a normal life and make their dreams come true. Importantly, as the professor notes, all currently available drugs are aimed at correcting the immune system.
It is possible to start the treatment of MS under the first-line Drug Program – preparations belonging to this group are reimbursed. If the therapy is unsuccessful or in the case of rapidly evolving, repidly evolving severe MS (RES), it is possible to receive treatment under the Second-line Drug Program (in this case, preparations are partially reimbursed).
– We have a dream that this refund would be extended as much as possible – says Karolina Gruszka. – There is a chance, but also a lot of work to do.
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