Incontinence is a common symptom for people with MS – although the severity and longevity vary from person to person. For some people this may be short-term with a relapse, and for others the problems can be more long-term.
According to the National MS Society, an estimated 80 percent of people with MS experience some degree of bladder dysfunction. This occurs if the immune response to MS destroys nerve cells that travel to the bowel or bladder. If you do experience incontinence related to your MS, treatments and support are available.
Bladder dysfunction, which occurs in at least 80 percent of people with MS, happens when MS lesions block or delay transmission of nerve signals in areas of the central nervous system (CNS) that control the bladder and urinary sphincters.
Incontinence is the loss of bladder control. Sometimes, MS will disrupt the nerve signals that direct the movement of urine in your body so that it comes out when you're not ready. Nocturia means you have to get up a lot during the night to go to the bathroom. Urinary hesitancy is when you have trouble starting to pee.
Many people with MS experience a range of bladder problems, including urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence may range from occasional leaks when coughing or sneezing to sudden urges to urinate throughout the day, sometimes leaking before making it to the bathroom.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) causes damage to nerve fibers in the central nervous system. Over time, it can lead to vision problems, muscle weakness, loss of balance or numbness. Several drug therapies can limit nerve damage and slow the disease's progression.
In MS , the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. Eventually, the disease can cause permanent damage or deterioration of the nerve fibers.
Why Might A Person With Multiple Sclerosis Become Incontinent? Nerve damage caused by MS can affect how the body interprets the signals between the brain and the bladder and bowel. In the bladder, the muscles that store the urine (the detrusor) and and the muscles that empty the bladder (the sphincter) can be affected.
Some people with MS will never experience bowel problems, but up to 7 in 10 people with MS will get a bowel problem at some stage, either constipation or incontinence (leakage). Bowel problems can be embarrassing and distressing. But discussing the issue and getting the right support and advice can help.
As a result of MS, the detrusor muscle in the wall of the bladder involuntarily contracts, increasing the pressure in the bladder and decreasing the volume of urine the bladder can hold. This causes symptoms of going frequently, urgently, leaking urine, or interfering with a good night's sleep.
Possible triggers include infections and stress, but there may also be no noticeable trigger. Anyone who notices a worsening of symptoms or that new symptoms appear should contact a doctor in case they need additional treatment or monitoring.
Colostomy. For a few people with MS, surgery may be an option when bowel accidents are having an unacceptable effect on quality of life and cannot be improved in any other appropriate way. Surgery offered is usually a colostomy.
Numbness of the face, body, or extremities (arms and legs) is often the first symptom experienced by those eventually diagnosed as having MS.
It's also common for people with MS to gain weight due to their symptoms. It's important to try and reach a moderate weight and maintain it. Being overweight or underweight can worsen MS symptoms.
If you have multiple sclerosis (MS), your bathroom habits may not be what they used to be. You might have bowel movements a lot more, not as much, or it may be harder to go. Talk to your doctor about these troubles. They can suggest ways to make things regular.
While there is no definitive blood test for MS, blood tests can rule out other conditions that cause symptoms similar to those of MS, including lupus erythematosis, Sjogren's, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, some infections, and rare hereditary diseases.
MS can weaken the muscles that control the lungs. Such respiratory issues are the major cause of sickness and death in people in the final stages of MS. Spasticity or an increase in stiffness and resistance as a muscle is moved can impair movement and cause pain and other problems.
Causes of multiple sclerosis
your genes – MS isn't directly inherited, but people who are related to someone with the condition are more likely to develop it; the chance of a sibling or child of someone with MS also developing it is estimated to be around 2 to 3 in 100.
Bowel problems in MS occur as a result of the disruption of messages between the brain and various parts of the digestive system. This causes problems with sensation in the back passage and control of the muscles at the bottom of the anus, resulting in problems such as constipation and incontinence.
Over 25,600 people in Australia are living with multiple sclerosis, including 3,700 Queenslanders, and it affects each person differently. On average more than 10 Australians are diagnosed with MS every week.
MS is not directly inherited from parent to child. There's no single gene that causes it. Over 200 genes might affect your chances of getting MS. But genes are only part of the story.
Average life span of 25 to 35 years after the diagnosis of MS is made are often stated. Some of the most common causes of death in MS patients are secondary complications resulting from immobility, chronic urinary tract infections, compromised swallowing and breathing.
MS itself is rarely fatal, but complications may arise from severe MS, such as chest or bladder infections, or swallowing difficulties. The average life expectancy for people with MS is around 5 to 10 years lower than average, and this gap appears to be getting smaller all the time.
Infections occurred almost twice as often in people with MS than in the general population.