Haider 1
Brittany Haider
Anat/Phys. 10 (42086)
Parsa
Disorders of the Nervous System: Huntington’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis
According to an article published online by Johns Hopkins Medicine, disorders of the
nervous system can be vascular, such as a stroke; infectious, such as meningitis; structural, such
as a brain tumor; functional, such as epilepsy; or degenerative, such as Parkinson’s disease. The
nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord, as well as peripheral and automatic nerves.
Given this information, it is not hard to understand why a disorder of the nervous system is
capable of wreaking havoc in many areas of the body, and in many ways. Such disorders and
complications can range from mild to extreme, and many disorders are not fully understood or
are the subject of intense medical research. In this paper, I will analyze two degenerative nervous
system disorders known as Huntington’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis (referred to commonly
as MS). Huntington’s disease, as stated by the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, is “a
fatal genetic disorder that causes progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain.” The
National Multiple Sclerosis Society describes MS as a myelin-damaging disorder, in which an
abnormal inflammation of the immune system can lead to the misguided attack of the central
nervous system (CNS). Causes, symptoms, and treatments of both disorders will also be
discussed, as well as an analysis of what life is like for people with one of these disorders.
Huntington’s Disease is a commonly misunderstood nervous system disorder. Common
myths surrounding Huntington’s include the belief that only men are affected by the disorder,
