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MS symptoms shown to MP

October 6, 2009 2:11 PM

Jenny Willott MP visits the MS stand at the Liberal Democrat Annual Conference in BournemouthTHE debilitating symptoms associated with the neurological disorder multiple sclerosis (MS) became all too clear last week for Cardiff Central MP Jenny Willott.

While at the Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth, Jenny Willott MP visited the MS Society exhibition and tried out the MS Simulator, which replicates symptoms associated with MS such as vision and balance problems.

Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Willott said: "Although this is a crude representation of what it's like to live with the symptoms of MS, being able to experience this first hand highlights just how important it is to make sure people with MS have adequate care and symptom relief."

MS is the result of damage to myelin - the protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system - which interferes with messages between the brain and the body.

It is the most common disabling neurological condition affecting young adults and an estimated 100,000 people in the UK have MS.

Other symptoms include fatigue, depression and cognitive problems. There is no cure and few effective treatments.

Dan Berry, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the MS Society, said: "It's been great to have the simulator at the conferences to give politicians a better understanding of what living with MS is like."

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