Multiple sclerosis: Risk perception, symptoms and treatment

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Résumé (français)

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Résumé (anglais)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease of the central nervous system which causes the nerves to deteriorate over time. MS affects individuals between the ages of 20 to 45 years of age and both biological and environmental factors are associated with the disease. Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world along with several European countries. The definitive cause and cure for MS had not been determined and because of this the quality of life of people living with MS is poor. This thesis investigates the following topics: population awareness about second hand smoke exposure and its association with MS; the importance of having social support and its effect on managing pain in MS; medication use; and the effectiveness of exercise in improving the physical, mental and social quality of life of people living with MS. The analysis shows that there was a lack of knowledge in second hand smoke exposure and risk of MS development in the Canadian population. Individual responses in agreeing or disagreeing to whether second hand smoke exposure was a risk factor for MS varied based on the provinces in which respondents resided, demographic factors, having a member of the household smoke inside the home and whether the respondents were bothered by second hand smoking. Analysis of national survey data of people living with MS found that having social support was beneficial for reducing pain. Having someone to take you to the doctor, confide/talk to, to do something enjoyable with and to take you to the emergency was found to be significantly associated with a lower reporting of pain. In a separate analysis, using complementary treatment for MS was associated with lower odds of medication use. The use of behavior modification models as a tool for medication adherence is important for individuals living with chronic conditions who have a hard time coping with change. In an analysis of the effect of complementary therapies on MS, aerobic exercise such as treadmill training, cycling, aquatic exercise and high intensity interval training and physiotherapy was found to have greater effect on physical, mental and social health as opposed to other types of complementary treatments.