Question

Emmerson is an active 55-year old male of Asian descent who works as a nurse. About six months ago, his wife commented that he was dropping things and stumbling more commonly when he walked. Within the last few weeks, he has found it hard to work with patients due to weakness in his arms and legs.

What system(s) of the body could Emmerson be experiencing problems with and what diseases or disorders could be responsible for this?

Answer 1

In this case, there are 2 points to be looked for. The first one stumbles and falls, while the second one is the experience regarding the weakness of limbs. These are perhaps paroxysmal signs with reference to Multiple Sclerosis experienced by Emerson which appears and disappears quickly. Multiple sclerosis is a condition which is a disabling condition getting worsened with time. It is found to affect two areas such as the brain and spinal cord. More specifically, the condition is seen to affect the central nervous system of the body. Patient experiences these signs primarily due to a damage in the myelin sheath that covers nerves. When myelin sheath undergoes degeneration, there is a considerable delay in impulse transformation between brain and skeletal muscles leading to stumbles and falls.