Evaluation of Multiple Sclerosis from the Perspective of Conventional Medicine and Traditional Persian Medicine, Considering the Concept of Hemorheology

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a persistent inflammatory disorder of uncertain etiology. Certain observations suggest that the pathology might not solely stem from primary immune dysregulation. Advanced imaging techniques reveal decreased cerebral blood flow in MS subjects compared to healthy controls, suggesting a widespread cerebral hypoperfusion present from early to advanced disease stages. One of the effective factors in reducing tissue perfusion is a change in the rheological properties of blood, which has been mentioned in recent articles. By attention to this concept in complementary and traditional medicine, including Persian medicine, this can be a common point that connects the view of Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) on MS to the existing hypotheses about the role of hemorheology in the development of MS. For this study, a two-step literature search was conducted. The initial search focused on concepts related to MS disease and changes in blood consistency in most important TPM texts. For the second inquiry, the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were explored using the keywords related to MS and blood viscosity concepts. TPM, believes that the imbalance of the four Humors in the body, changes the physical properties of blood, leading to changes in the tissues blood supply and can cause nerve injury in the long run. On the other hand, in modern physiology, some evidence shows that circulatory disorders precede immune responses in the development of MS and the reaction of the immune system is actually secondary to the ischemia created as a result of reduced blood supply. We believe that discussing Hemorheology, not only in MS, but also in many other diseases, can open new horizons for knowing the root cause of the disease and thus discovering better treatments.