That's not the case with multiple sclerosis (MS); while some people with the disease may be only mildly impacted over years or even decades, others may lose their ability to walk, speak, or swallow over time.
You may have to adapt your daily life if you're diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), but with the right care and support many people can lead long, active and healthy lives.
Can I have multiple sclerosis for years and not know it? Yes. MS can go undetected for years. Research has suggested that many patients experience MS-related symptoms and signs several years before receiving a definite diagnosis of the disease.
EDSS scores that are 3 or below mean there's been some change to how your body functions, but you can still walk. If you have an EDSS score of 3 or below and it's been at least 10 years since your first MS symptoms, doctors will diagnose you with benign MS.
While there is no cure for MS (multiple sclerosis), there are some studies that suggest early, aggressive treatment should begin at the earliest signs of the disease for many patients.
MS can occur at any age, but onset usually occurs around 20 and 40 years of age. However, younger and older people can be affected.
Disease Course of MS Is Unpredictable
A person with benign MS will have few symptoms or loss of ability after having MS for about 15 years, while most people with MS would be expected to have some degree of disability after that amount of time, particularly if their MS went untreated.
The study found that people with MS lived to be 75.9 years old, on average, compared to 83.4 years old for those without. That 7.5-year difference is similar to what other researchers have found recently.
Although more people are being diagnosed with MS today than in the past, the reasons for this are not clear. Likely contributors include greater awareness of the disease, better access to medical care and improved diagnostic capabilities. There is no definitive evidence that the rate of MS is generally on the increase.
MS is a chronic disease that affects people differently. A small number of people with MS will have a mild course with little to no disability, whereas others will have a steadily worsening disease that leads to increased disability over time.
If an MS patient's EDSS score is 2 or lower for 10 years or longer, there is 90% chance that the disease will continue to remain stable.
In many patients, over a span of 5 to 15 years, the attacks begin more indolently, persist more chronically and remit less completely, gradually transforming into a pattern of steady deterioration rather than episodic flares.
A person will only receive a diagnosis of benign MS if they have been without severe disabling symptoms of the disease for 15 years. However, this does not mean that a person cannot experience a relapse after this time and see their disease progress into a more severe form.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue around the central nervous system. There is no known way to cure MS or prevent it from developing.
Symptoms of an MS flare-up usually come on quickly, over a period of hours or days. Relapses usually last for about four to six weeks, though they can be as short as only a few days or as long as several months.
Can MS be stopped if caught early? MS is a progressive disease. Once it develops, it will get worse over time. However, the earlier that you tell your doctor about your symptoms and seek treatment the better because some treatments can slow the disease's progression.
“MS may lead to a loss of sensation in whatever area of the body corresponds with the damaged area of the brain or spinal cord,” Dr. Scherz says. This can cause numbness or a tingling sensation—for instance, in the fingers or toes. The feeling usually comes and goes, and can be mild or severe.
There is no cure for multiple sclerosis. Treatment typically focuses on speeding recovery from attacks, reducing new radiographic and clinical relapses, slowing the progression of the disease, and managing MS symptoms. Some people have such mild symptoms that no treatment is necessary.
Border forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) can be separated in two groups: either they are variants of MS or they are distinct from MS but they share several characteristics with MS thus representing for some of them a continuum with MS. All these entities are central nervous system demyelinating diseases.