BROUGHT METEOROLOGIST CANDACE CAMPOS AND TRAFFIC SAFETY EXPERT TROOPER STEVE. THIS IS
NEWS. 6 AT 09:00AM GETTING
RESULTS.
>> JULIE: LAST MONTH,
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE RECEIVED A
STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF
FAME. IT WAS AN EMOTIONAL
MOMENT FOR THE 51 YEAR-OLD
ISN’T MARKED HER FIRST PUBLIC
APPEARANCE SINCE ANNOUNCING
HER MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
DIAGNOSIS. THE ACTRESS HAS
BEEN OPEN ABOUT THE
DIFFICULTIES LIVING WITHIN
MASK. HER STORY IS ONCE AGAIN
A REMINDER OF THE IMPORTANCE
OF PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO
SIGNS OF AN ILLNESS. THAT’S
WHY BRIDGES STANDING BY NOW IN
TODAY’S ASK A DOCTOR, ASK A
DOCTOR IS SPONSORED BY CAN BE
PRIMARY CARE PROCEEDINGS.
>> BRIDGETT: NOW, CHRISTINA
APPLEGATE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH
MS LAST YEAR SHORTLY BEFORE
HER 50TH BIRTHDAY AND SAYS
SYMPTOMS LIKE NUMBNESS AND
TINGLING SENSATIONS HAVE BEEN
HAPPENING YEARS BEFORE THAT.
HER TRANSPARENCY ALSO
INCREASING AWARENESS ABOUT
THIS CONDITION. JOINING US
THIS MORNING, TRACEE CARRASCO
ORLANDO HEALTH, OCCUPATIONAL
THERAPIST AND YOU WORK WITH
PATIENTS IN THE MS
COMPREHENSIVE CARE CENTER
WHICH WERE FORTUNATE,
FORTUNATE TO HAVE HERE.
WELCOME THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
HAVING ME. YOUR WORK IS SO
IMPORTANT AND WHEN WE THINK
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFY MS
AND WHAT LEADS UP TO THAT
INITIAL DIAGNOSIS, TALK ABOUT
THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD
LOOK OUT FOR.
>> DISEASE ITSELF INVOLVES OUR
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. SO
THAT’S OUR CENTER THAT
CONTROLS EVERYTHING IN OUR
BODY. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF
DIFFERENT SYMPTOMS THAT CAN
OCCUR. THEY CAN HAVE THINGS
LIKE SOME SENSORY SYMPTOMS MAY
BE CHANGES TO THEIR VISION
BALANCE PROBLEMS OR SUDDEN
ONSET OF WEAKNESS. SO THAT’S
WHEN THEY CAN START TO THINK
NEED TO SEE MY POSITION AND
SEE WHAT’S GOING ON HERE.
RIGHT? YOU SEE SOMEONE LIKE,
YOU KNOW, SOMEONE WE’RE SO
FAMILIAR WITH CHRISTINA
APPLEGATE. SHE’S 51 SO YOUNG
AND VIBRANT.
>> AND THIS ACTUALLY CAN START
REALLY EARLY ON MUCH YOUNGER
THAN THAT, CORRECT. SO THE
MOST COMMON AGE RANGES BETWEEN
20 AND 50 YEARS OF AGE.
ALTHOUGH WE DO HAVE PEDIATRIC
CASES AS WELL AS PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN DIAGNOSED IN THEIR LATER
YEARS IN THEIR 70’S, EVEN. BUT
THE MOST COMMON IS BETWEEN THE
2050. AND THAT’S RIGHT AT A
CRUCIAL TIME WHEN PEOPLE ARE
REALLY STARTING FAMILIES AND
COMING INTO THEIR ADULTHOOD.
SO IT CAN BE QUITE A SHOCK FOR
THEM RIGHT INTO IS SHOCKING TO
HEAR THOSE YOUNG NUMBERS. WHEN
YOU THINK YOU KNOW, HOW PEOPLE
RESPOND TO TREATMENT AND WHO
MIGHT BE MORE PREDISPOSED TO
THIS, DO WE UNDERSTAND YET?
YOU KNOW WHY PEOPLE DEVELOP
THIS OR WHO’S MORE LIKELY TO
GET IT?
>> THERE IS SOMEWHAT OF A
GENETIC COMPONENT TO IT. BUT
THERE’S ALSO A LOT OF OTHER
FACTORS THAT THEY REALLY TRULY
ARE STILL STUDYING. WE DO KNOW
WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY 2 TO 3
TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP
THAT AND DIAGNOSIS. SO, BUT,
YES, THEY’RE STILL A LOT MORE
TO LEARN ABOUT WHO AND WHY
WOULD WOULD BE DIAGNOSED.
>> BRIDGETT: SO WHEN IT COMES
TO TREATMENT AND MANAGING
EVERYTHING, HOW DOES THAT? HOW
DOES THAT WORK OUT AS IT
MEDICATIONS AND THERAPIES DOES
IT VARY FROM PATIENT TO
PATIENT? IT I THINK THE
BIGGEST BIGGEST THING FOR
SOMEONE WHO’S BEGINNING TO
HAVE THESE TYPES OF SYMPTOMS
IS TO MAYBE GET IN AND SPEAK
WITH THEIR PRIMARY CARE
PHYSICIAN. SOME OF MY PATIENTS
MIGHT HAVE A VERY SUDDEN ONSET
OF THESE TYPES OF SYMPTOMS AND
MIGHT END UP IN THE EMERGENCY
ROOM. AND THE REFERRED
STRAIGHT ON TO A IF THEY’RE
MEETING WITH THEIR PRIMARY
CARE FIRST, THEY MIGHT BE SENT
ON TO A NEUROLOGIST WHO
FURTHER DIAGNOSIS. IT’S NOT A
VERY EASY DIAGNOSIS TO COME
ABOUT. IT INVOLVES ELIMINATING
A LOT OF OTHER THINGS THAT
MIGHT MIMIC THOSE SAME
SYMPTOMS SO THEY WOULD NEED TO
DO FURTHER TESTING INVOLVING
LAB SPINAL FLUID ASSESSMENTS,
VISUAL ASSESSMENTS AND THESE
AN MRI TO LOOK AT YOUR BRAIN
AND SPINAL CORD TO SEE IF
THERE’S LESIONS AND FROM
THERE. YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE
THAT YOU’RE GETTING WITH
SOMEONE WHO IS A SPECIALIST, A
NEUROLOGIST WHO WAS VERY
COMFORTABLE IN TREATING
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS BECAUSE
THERE ARE A PLETHORA OF
MEDICATIONS FROM SUIT CLOTHES
THAT ARE ABLE TO BE TAKEN NOW.
AND THAT’S REALLY DEVELOPED
OVER, SAY THE LAST 20 YEARS.
SO THAT’S THE IMPORTANT PART
ON TOP OF THAT. YOU WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT THEY’RE GETTING
THE RIGHT MEDICATIONS FOR
THEM. SO THESE THESE
PARTICULAR MEDICATIONS ARE
REFER TO AS DISEASE, MODIFYING
MEDICATIONS BECAUSE THERE’S NO
CURE FOR MS. THESE ARE
IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY DO TEND
TO HALT THE DISEASE WERE SLOW
TO PROGRESS, PROGRESS DOWN. SO
THAT PREVENTS ANY FURTHER
PERMANENT DAMAGE. HOW CAN YOU
IDENTIFY? DO YOU CALL IT
REMISSION OR DO SAID HALL TO,
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN DEFINITELY
SLOW THE PROGRESSION. DOES YOU
CAN’T MAKE A PROMISE AS NATION
IS, YOU KNOW, GOING THROUGH
THE THERAPY. BUT IT’S, YOU
KNOW, I HAVE A VARIETY OF
THINGS. YOU TRY STOPPING IT.
YES, AND MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS.
I’M ABOUT 80% OF THE CASES ARE
NOON AS RELAPSING AND
REMITTING.
>> SO THAT’S ANOTHER PART OF
THIS THAT PEOPLE MAY HAVE A
SYMPTOM THAT WILL GO AWAY
COMPLETELY AND RATHER THAN SEE
THEIR PHYSICIAN. THEY JUST
THINK IT WAS THEY THEY CHALKED
UP TO SOMETHING ELSE AND SO
THEY MIGHT IGNORE GOING TO THE
DOCTOR. SO IT’S IMPORTANT TO
FOLLOW THROUGH AND MAKE SURE
THAT THAT’S NOT HAPPENING. BUT
YES, EVEN ON MEDICATIONS THAT
KIND OF HAT DO HAVE A
REMISSION OF OF SYMPTOMS. AND
THAT’S AGAIN, THE GOAL OF
MEDICATIONS TO REALLY SLOW IT
DOWN AND PUT THEM INTO MORE
REMISSION, STATE RIGHT, AND
IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE AND
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ON. RIGHT.
WELL, THANK YOU, TRACY. GREAT
INFORMATION. THANK YOU FOR ALL