What is the first common symptom of MS?

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.

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What are 3 warning signs of MS?

Symptoms
  • Numbness or weakness in one or more limbs that typically occurs on one side of your body at a time.
  • Tingling.
  • Electric-shock sensations that occur with certain neck movements, especially bending the neck forward (Lhermitte sign)
  • Lack of coordination.
  • Unsteady gait or inability to walk.

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Can you leave a normal life with MS?

Contents. 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.

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What is the beginning of MS like?

What Does MS Feels Like? A lack of feeling or a pins-and-needles sensation can be the first sign of nerve damage from MS. It usually happens in your face, arms, or legs, and on one side of your body. It tends to go away on its own.

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What is most commonly mistaken for MS?

These include fibromyalgia and vitamin B12 deficiency, muscular dystrophy (MD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), migraine, hypo-thyroidism, hypertension, Beçhets, Arnold-Chiari deformity, and mitochondrial disorders, although your neurologist can usually rule them out quite easily.

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Early Identification and Diagnosis of MS

22 related questions found

What other conditions can be mistaken for MS?

Here are some conditions that doctors are more likely to misdiagnose as MS.
  • Migraine. Migraine is a complex neurological condition. ...
  • Radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) ...
  • Cervical spondylosis. ...
  • Neuropathy. ...
  • Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) ...
  • Fibromyalgia. ...
  • Vitamin B12 deficiency. ...
  • Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM)

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Does MS show up in blood work?

While there are no definitive blood tests for diagnosing MS, they can rule out other conditions that may mimic MS symptoms, including Lyme disease, collagen-vascular diseases, rare hereditary disorders, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

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What are the first signs of MS in a woman?

The early signs and symptoms of MS can be the same for women and men. One of the more obvious first signs of MS is a problem with vision, known as optic neuritis. This is often because it's a more concrete symptom as opposed to vaguer neurological symptoms like numbness and tingling.

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At what age does MS usually appear?

MS can appear at any age but most commonly manifests between the ages of 20 and 40. It affects women two to three times as often as men. Almost one million people in the United States have MS, making it one of the most common causes of neurological disability among young adults in North America.

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How long can you have MS without knowing?

How long can MS go undiagnosed? MS is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, but it can go undetected for years. In fact, a 2021 study suggested that many people with MS experience disease symptoms several years before being officially diagnosed with the disease.

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What triggers MS?

Factors that may trigger MS include: Exposure to certain viruses or bacteria: Some research suggests that being exposed to certain infections (such as Epstein-Barr virus) can trigger MS later in life. Where you live: Your environment may play a role in your risk for developing MS.

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What are key indicators of MS?

Key points

Others may lose the ability to see clearly, write, speak, or walk. Early symptoms can include vision problems, trouble walking, and tingling feelings. MS affects people differently. But common problems are trouble with movement and thinking, and bowel and bladder incontinence.

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How do doctors test for MS?

Lumbar puncture or spinal tap

It goes into the space around your spinal cord and collects a small sample of the fluid there. This is then tested for signs of MS. People with MS nearly always have antibodies in this fluid.

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What are the four stages of MS?

Four disease courses have been identified in multiple sclerosis: clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), primary progressive MS (PPMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS).

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What does MS feel like in legs?

Muscle spasms and stiffness: Formally called spasticity, this symptom can range from mild feelings of muscle tightness to severe and painful spasms, according to the National MS Society, and it most commonly affects the legs.

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What does MS do to your feet?

When we see MS patients, we also see many cases of foot drop. (That's a condition that makes it harder to lift the front of your foot.) Plus, mobility challenges could leave you dragging your feet which puts more pressure on parts of your foot and your toes.

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How do I check if I have MS?

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.

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Can an eye test detect MS?

Multiple sclerosis (MS).

When your optometrist detects optic nerve inflammation, that can indicate a diagnosis of MS. Patients with MS often also have double vision, blurred vision, or report pain when moving their eyes.

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How do you test for MS in Australia?

Therefore a careful combination of clinical examinations, MRI scans and lumbar punctures are required. To differentiate MS from other similar neurological conditions, most neurologists use what is called the McDonald criteria.

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Can you see MS on MRI?

MRI is particularly useful in detecting central nervous system demyelination — that is, damage of the myelin sheath in the nervous system. This makes it a powerful tool in establishing the diagnosis of MS.

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What autoimmune disease acts like MS?

Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease that can mimic some of the symptoms of MS such as fatigue and joint pain. However, Sjogren's syndrome is known to cause dry mouth and eyes, which are not associated with MS.

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Does MS affect your nails?

This fungal infection may cause the nails to become thick, separate from the nail bed, and appear discolored. According to one study, onychomycosis is slightly more common in people diagnosed with MS than it is in the general population.

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What autoimmune disease mimics MS?

Sarcoidosis is another inflammatory autoimmune disease that shares some symptoms with MS, including fatigue and decreased vision. But sarcoidosis most commonly affects the lungs, lymph nodes, and skin, causing a cough or wheezing, swollen lymph nodes, and lumps, sores, or areas of discoloration on the skin.

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