SecureACure4MS

03/17/2026

03/16/2026

MS and Autoimmune Disease

Multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease of the central nervous system involving unpredictable and disabling attacks, affects nearly 1 million people in the United States. Many investigators believe MS to be an autoimmune disease, such as neuromyelitis optica and paraneoplastic autoimmune disorders.

In autoimmune diseases, the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues. In MS, the nerve-insulating myelin comes under assault. This disrupts communication between the brain and other parts of the body producing effects that can range from benign to disabling to devastating. In neuromyelitis optica, immune system cells and antibodies primarily attack the optic nerves and the spinal cord.

Initial symptoms of MS include blurred or double vision and usually occur between the ages of 20 and 40. Most MS patients experience limb weakness and difficulty with coordination and balance that can impair walking or standing. MS often leads to pain, speech impediments, tremors, dizziness, cognitive and bladder impairments, and even paralysis.

There are treatments for MS and several autoimmune diseases, but no cures.

Mysteries of Disease that Need to be Solved
What causes MS?

How can we best prevent disease relapses?

Could stem cell transplant be the future of treatment?

How can we treat and maintain function in secondary progressive MS?

Disease Resources
Multiple Sclerosis Overview (Brain & Life)
Multiple Sclerosis Information Page (NIH)
Neuromyelitis Optica Summary (GARD)
Paraneoplastic Syndromes Information Page (NIH)

03/15/2026

I was diagnosed with Acute/Chronic Epstein Barr at the age of 15. What that means is the following, my body is always in a state of flux, fighting against itself. Which I believe was the precursor for my . Approximately 13 years later at the age of 28 I was diagnosed with . Now my body in is in a constant state of fighting itself. Between, the , and other my body is left weary.
I’m in no way saying this is anyone else’s journey, but it is mine.

While the exact cause of MS remains a mystery, new research aims to shed a light on what causes MS, how it progresses, and how to reverse its damage. Currently, scientists are uncovering more clues about how the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) might play a role in triggering MS.

Recent research revealed that the body's immune response to EBV can also target the nervous system in certain people, potentially playing a role in the development of MS. Learn more about how these discoveries can help us understand risk factors, develop new treatments, and bring us closer to a world free of MS.
https://ntlms.org/msawEBV-MS

Pass It On

03/15/2026

03/15/2026

MSAA is proud to support Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month during the month of March and is offering several digital educational activities – including a podcast series, educational video, blog posts, the launch of our annual Art Showcase, and coverage across MSAA’s various communication platfo...

03/15/2026

MS is real. Even when you can't see it.

Multiple Sclerosis affects nearly 1 million Americans, and many of its most debilitating symptoms are completely invisible. Fatigue that makes it impossible to get through the day. Pain that never fully goes away. Brain fog that steals your sharpest moments. Vision changes. Numbness. These are just a few of the daily realities for people living with MS.

This is MS Awareness Week, and we want the world to understand: just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there.

If someone in your life has MS, believe them. Support them. And help us fund the research that will one day erase this disease for good.

Learn more at erasems.org (link in bio)

03/15/2026

=Me

03/15/2026

This is what your support looks like.

At Race to Erase MS, 71 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to funding groundbreaking MS research through our Center Without Walls program -- a nationwide network of the nation's top MS research centers and scientists working together as one team.

These researchers are not working in isolation. They are collaborating across institutions, sharing data, and pushing the boundaries of what we know about Multiple Sclerosis. From understanding what causes MS to developing new treatments that improve quality of life, this is the cutting edge of MS science.

And it is powered by people like you.

March is MS Awareness Month. Help us keep the momentum going. Every dollar makes a difference in our race to erase MS.

Learn more at erasems.org (link in bio)

03/15/2026

One pattern that is commonly associated with MS is scanning speech. Scanning dysarthria produces speech in which the normal "melody" or speech pattern is disrupted, with abnormally long pauses between words or individual syllables of words.

People with MS may also slur words. This is usually the result of weakness and/or incoordination of the muscles of the tongue, lips, cheeks and mouth.

Sometimes due to weakness in the diaphragm, speech volume can be affected and it may be difficult to be heard.

Nasal speech is possible, which sounds as though the person has a cold or nasal obstruction.

03/15/2026

MS is a Autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord)




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