Your neurologist will look for abnormalities, changes or weakness in your vision, eye movements, hand or leg strength, balance and co-ordination, speech and reflexes. These may show whether your nerves are damaged in a way that might suggest MS.
Those symptoms include loss of vision in an eye, loss of power in an arm or leg or a rising sense of numbness in the legs. Other common symptoms associated with MS include spasms, fatigue, depression, incontinence issues, sexual dysfunction, and walking difficulties.
It's most commonly diagnosed in people in their 20s, 30s and 40s although it can develop at any age. It's about 2 to 3 times more common in women than men. MS is one of the most common causes of disability in younger adults.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that affects the brain and/or spinal cord. It can cause symptoms like problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance. It's a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause serious disability.
Multiple sclerosis is caused by your immune system mistakenly attacking the brain and nerves. It's not clear why this happens but it may be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
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.
Muscle spasms: They usually affect your leg muscles. They're an early symptom for almost half the people with MS. They also affect people with progressive MS. You might feel mild stiffness or strong, painful spasms.
There are no specific tests for MS . Instead, a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis often relies on ruling out other conditions that might produce similar signs and symptoms, known as a differential diagnosis. Your doctor is likely to start with a thorough medical history and examination.
Unfortunately, it takes as long as 15 years after an initial diagnosis to know if this type of MS is benign. Neurologists use the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) to assess physical impairment. According to the scale, MS is considered benign if there is: no evidence of worsening body functions.
Canadian research shows people with MS are more likely than the general population to visit a doctor or hospital in the years leading up to an MS diagnosis.
There's currently no cure for multiple sclerosis (MS), but medicines and other treatments can help control the condition and ease some of the symptoms. Treatment for MS depends on the stage of the disease and the specific symptoms the person has. It may include: treating relapses of MS symptoms (with steroids)
And if left untreated, MS can result in more nerve damage and an increase in symptoms. Starting treatment soon after you're diagnosed and sticking with it may also help delay the potential progression from relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) to secondary-progressive MS (SPMS).
Boston, MA – Multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive disease that affects 2.8 million people worldwide and for which there is no definitive cure, is likely caused by infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), according to a study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers.
Diagnosis and early intervention
As optic neuritis is the presenting sign of MS in up to 30 percent of patients, the eye exam can lead to the initial systemic diagnosis.
MRI plays a vital role in how we diagnose and monitor MS. In fact, over 90% of people have their MS diagnosis confirmed by MRI.
CT scans may be used to exclude other causes of neurologic impairment, but they have a low positive predictive value in the diagnosis of MS; thus, the false-negative rate is high.
But studies which have investigated whether stress causes MS have been mixed. Although the person with MS knows from their experience that their MS symptoms started after or alongside a stressful period of time, there is no direct evidence that stress causes MS — although it might trigger it.
While bone sclerosis in general can be related to other conditions, sclerosis of the subchondral bone in joints is linked to osteoarthritis. Some studies show that subchondral sclerosis can happen before osteoarthritis damages joint cartilage.
A 2019 study by researchers in Australia found at least 32 websites offering dietary advice for people with MS. In addition to recommending specific foods, these meal plans cautioned against a number of supposed MS triggers, including dairy foods, gluten, saturated fat, and refined sugar.
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.
Summary of the key differences
Although both MS and SS are autoimmune disorders, they are distinct conditions. Multiple sclerosis impacts only the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord. In contrast, SS is a multisystem disease, meaning it can impact multiple areas of the body.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) recognizes MS as a chronic illness or “impairment” that can cause disability severe enough to prevent an individual from working.