Glossary

MS common medical terms:

• Autoimmune disease A disease in which the body’s own immune system attacks its own healthy tissues. Multiple sclerosis is believed to be an autoimmune disease.
• Central nervous system (CNS) The system that pertains to the brain, cranial nerves, and spinal cord.
• Inflammation The body’s response against injury or destruction of tissues.
• Lesions Also known as plaques, lesions are the discontinuity or loss of tissue.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) A special tool used to generate pictures of the human body, including the brain and the spinal cord. An MRI scan can help physicians learn more about tissue damage in RRMS patients.
• Myelin The material that makes up the myelin sheath of axon nerves.
• Myelin sheath An insulating layer that surrounds the spinal cord's peripheral neurons, the myelin sheath helps speed up nerve impulses.
• Neurodegeneration Damage to the structure or function of the central nervous system (CNS).
• Relapse The return of symptoms and signs of a disease after a period of improvement.
• Relapsing-remitting A type of multiple sclerosis that is characterized by clearly defined disease (RRMS) relapses with full recovery or with conditions that stay with the patient as a consequence of the disease.
• Subcutaneous Under the skin.