What Are the Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis?

Learning that you have multiple sclerosis (MS) can be devastating news. You may not know what to expect from this degenerative disease. MS is a disease of the central nervous system (CNS) which comprises the brain and spinal cord. Every motor function in your body is dependent on the CNS; thus any system in the body can be affected by MS.

What is multiple sclerosis?

MS is an autoimmune disease that causes demyelinization of the outer covering of nerve fibers. Your nerves have a protective coating called myelin, and the covering is often referred to as the myelin sheath. The myelin sheath is much like the outer covering of an electrical cord, and functions in much the same way. The coating on an electrical cord keeps the electrons traveling in an ordered way so that an electrical appliance, like a lamp will operate. If there are cuts and nicks in the cord, you may notice that the light bulb in the lamp will flicker or not work at all when it is turned on. The myelin sheath works similarly for nerve impulses.

In MS, the myelin sheath is attacked by proteins that are sent by the immune system. The immune system doesn't recognize the myelin sheath as part of the body, so the immune system attacks it. As a result of repeated attacks the myelin sheath suffers lesions, which is commonly called demyelinization. When demyelinization occurs, you may experience symptoms such as weakness in the affected part of the body. If MS affects the eyes, you may experience diminished visual acuity, or you may even experience blindness. If MS affects the nerves of the bladder, you may not be able to tell when you need to urinate. You may have to insert a catheter into your bladder at intervals to empty your bladder.

A person with MS may have periods where he/she is function fairly well, and then he/she may have what are known as an attack of MS symptoms. An attack can last a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months, and then the symptoms may resolve and the person may go through a period of remission. MS can also permanently disable a person. Perhaps the person was able to walk, and slowly lost the ability to walk alone. The person may have to depend on a walker, or may not be strong enough to walk at all.

What are the symptoms of MS?

The symptoms of MS vary from one person to the next because it can affect any part of the body. However, listed below are some of the common symptoms of MS:

Weakness

Muscle spasms

Tingling like a body part is asleep

Double vision and other vision problems

Slurring of speech

Difficulty understanding speech

Inability to find words

Difficulty recognizing written words

Depression

Lack of sensation for need to urinate

Feeling an urgency to urinate

Leaking of urine

Fecal incontinence

Erectile dysfunction

Facial pain

Decreased memory

Making poor decisions

Problems with balance

Trouble moving the limbs

Loss of muscle mass

Tremors of one or both of the hands, arms or legs

Stabbing pains

Itching

Absence of taste

The list goes on, but you get the idea. MS can affect every single part of the body. One person may not be able to walk and be confined to a wheel chair or walker, while another person walks fine, but has cognitive problems, vision problems, or bowel and bladder problems. No one person is likely to have the same exact symptoms of MS all of the time.

Stay tuned. Another article will follow soon discussing the diagnostic process and the treatment options for MS.

Source:

http://neurology.ucsf.edu/msc/psychology.htm