MS Patients Need Extra Precautions in Heat

As the mercury starts to rise, it becomes a challenge for Houstonians to stay cool. But there is a patient population that is presented with an even greater challenge when it comes to beating the heat.

Due to the fact that multiple sclerosis (MS) is unpredictable and that symptoms can vary from day to day or even from hour to hour, it is necessary for MS patients to maintain their physical and emotional well being.

There is a catch however. A peculiar feature of MS is its heat sensitivity. Heat causes nerves whose protective myelin sheath has been destroyed by MS to work at a slow rate, meaning that many patients with MS report a worsening of their symptoms when they become overheated or when the weather is hot.

"Higher temperatures further impair the ability of a demyelinated nerve to conduct electrical impulses," says Dr. Staley A. Brod, associate professor of neurology at The University of Texas-Houston Medical School. "Myelin is the protective sheath that surrounds and protects nerve fibers. The destruction of myelin causes the formation of plaques - abnormal areas - on the nerves that slow nerve impulses and produce the symptoms of MS."

It is important for MS patients to plan ahead to avoid excessive heating and to have strategies in place for body cooling since increased body temperatures may occur with minimal exposure to elevated environmental temperatures.

"When the environmental temperature exceeds body temperature, evaporation of sweat becomes the only means of losing body heat," says Dr. Brod. "People with MS may have an impaired sweating response and decreased blood flow to the skin which makes it more difficult to control body temperature."

The arrival of Houston's hot summer days does not mean people living with MS need to drastically alter their lifestyles. Summer is simply a time when MS patients need to pay special attention to their bodies.

Here are a few tips:

• Avoid direct exposure to the sun;
  
  
• Avoid remaining in a hot environment, such as a parked car or un-airconditioned facilities;
  
  
• Maintain or increase fluid intake;
  
  
• Have an emergency system in place for protection from excessive heat;
  
  
• Carry extra fluid in the car;
  
  
• Carry a small ice chest in the car with cooling gel pads;
  
  
• Exercise in a cool environment.

Certain foods can also cause body temperature to rise. Protein in particular has been shown to raise body heat production significantly. The Multiple Sclerosis Society recommends MS patients should be conservative in the ingestion of protein if they anticipate being exposed to high temperatures.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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