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. Read on to learn how to maintain a moderate weight with MS.
MS fatigue, steroid therapy, and depression can all lead to unwanted weight in people with MS. Though these factors are not your fault, you owe it to yourself to take control of your weight. Overeating can increase MS symptoms or health conditions, such as: fatigue.
Weight gain - putting on weight when you don't want to
But having MS can create extra challenges with this. For example, if you're less active than you once were, you might find you're putting on weight when you don't want to. Some drug treatments, including steroids to treat relapses, can also lead to weight gain.
In MS, obesity has been linked to increased relapses and disease progression. In a newly published study, although most of the people with MS studied were overweight or obese, only 10% of 470 people with MS and 11% of 519 controls without MS adopted a specific diet to lose weight.
Lack of physical activity.
Some MS symptoms make it hard to move around or put you less in the mood for exercise. You might find yourself adding extra pounds because of things like: Fatigue. Depression.
In multiple sclerosis (MS) or other conditions that limit mobility, it most commonly manifests as swollen feet and ankles, and occurs because the lymphatic system does not receive help from the muscle movements that normally enable the lymphatic fluid to flow properly.
Many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) struggle with intestinal issues. There is evidence of the link between gut health and MS. Bloating is a common result of these issues.
Systemic lipid metabolism is disturbed in people with MS, and lipid metabolic pathways are crucial to the protective process of remyelination.
Most symptoms develop abruptly, within hours or days. These attacks or relapses of MS typically reach their peak within a few days at most and then resolve slowly over the next several days or weeks so that a typical relapse will be symptomatic for about eight weeks from onset to recovery.
What age is multiple sclerosis usually diagnosed? While these MS symptoms can make everyday tasks more challenging (walking, say, or using your hands for things like texting or cooking), it's not related to the aging process. In fact, the average age range of diagnosis with MS is between 20 and 40.
Research summary. People who have MS sometimes have swollen legs. This leg swelling can occur for a number of reasons, particularly if it has become difficult to walk. In these circumstances, excess water may build up in the tissues and cause the legs to become swollen.
Weight loss can also occur in MS where a decreased appetite may result from depression, cognitive impairment, fatigue or relapse. Difficulty with swallowing can make it a challenge to get enough energy and nutrients from food. Some medications can suppress appetite as a side effect.
In multiple sclerosis, the protective coating on the nerve fibers (myelin) is damaged and may eventually be destroyed. Depending on where the nerve damage occurs, MS can affect vision, sensation, coordination, movement, and bladder or bowel control.
More than 50% reported limitations in daily activities due to fatigue, physical weakness, problems with balance/coordination, heat/cold sensitivity, memory problems, numbness/tingling, trouble concentrating, impaired movement/muscle stiffness, and impaired sleeping.
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.
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.
People should consider the diagnosis of MS if they have one or more of these symptoms: vision loss in one or both eyes. acute paralysis in the legs or along one side of the body. acute numbness and tingling in a limb.
Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease that can mimic some of the symptoms of MS such as fatigue and joint pain.
Nearly two-thirds of MS patients have at least one GI symptom that persists for 6 months or more. Some of the most common problems are: 1) Dysphagia, 2) Heartburn, 3) Nausea, 4) Dyspepsia, 5) Diarrhea, 6) Constipation, and 7) Fecal Incontinence.
Testosterone. Some studies have suggested that men with MS may have low levels of testosterone. A study in the US of 96 men with relapsing remitting MS, found that over a third had a condition called hypogonadism, where the body doesn't produce enough testosterone.
Vision Problems
The first symptom of MS for many people. Optic neuritis, neuromyelitis optica, blurred vision, poor contrast or color vision, and pain on eye movement can be frightening — and should be evaluated promptly.
While facial drooping is often a sign of other disorders such as Bell's palsy, Lyme disease, or even stroke, it may be an early sign of MS.
Numbness of the face, body or extremities (arms and legs) is one of the most common symptoms of MS. It may be the first MS symptom you experienced. The numbness may be mild or so severe that it interferes with your ability to use the affected body part.
The most common areas for pain to occur are the cheek, forehead, and ear. Pain associated with TN feels like a shooting or jabbing achiness or burning. These painful sensations can last for only a few seconds or go on for minutes. In the most severe cases, they can even last around an hour or longer.