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.
Here's where MS (typically) starts
Optic neuritis, or inflammation of the optic nerve, is usually the most common, Shoemaker says. You may experience eye pain, blurred vision and headache. It often occurs on one side and can eventually lead to partial or total vision loss.
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. Resolution is often complete.
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.
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. Sex. Women are more than 2 to 3 times as likely as men are to have relapsing-remitting MS .
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.
Early signs and symptoms of MS
tingling and numbness. pains and spasms. weakness or fatigue. balance problems or dizziness.
Benign MS is a variation of relapsing-remitting MS. This is a form of the condition in which new or worsening symptoms are very mild or don't flare up for a long period of time. That's why doctors wait so long to diagnose it.
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.
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.
Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, is a wonderful tool to help diagnose and follow people with MS. MRI is safe and relatively non-invasive yet can provide very detailed images of the brain and spinal cord that can reveal MS lesions (also known as demyelination, spots, or plaques) and changes in MS activity over time.
In people with MS, the immune system attacks cells in the myelin, the protective sheath that surrounds nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Damage to the myelin sheath interrupts nerve signals from your brain to other parts of your body. The damage can lead to symptoms affecting your brain, spinal cord and eyes.
Though MS cannot be totally prevented, quitting smoking (if applicable), maintaining moderate body weight, and getting enough vitamin D through diet or sun exposure could help reduce your risk. Staying active, minimizing stress levels, and following a healthy, well-rounded diet may also be beneficial.
Immunoglobulin M (IgM)
Intrathecal IgG OCBs are a hallmark of MS and are the most widely used diagnostic biomarker in MS, despite not being specific to MS. In addition, an increased IgG synthetic rate and elevated IgG index are also used as corollary evidence for MS.
Neurological examination
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.
Common CSF findings in people with MS include a high level of oligoclonal bands. Oligoclonal bands indicate an increase in autoimmune activity.
A common visual symptom of MS is optic neuritis — inflammation of the optic (vision) nerve. Optic neuritis usually occurs in one eye and may cause aching pain with eye movement, blurred vision, dim vision, or loss of color vision. For example, the color red may appear washed out or gray.
The two most common eye movement problems in MS are double vision (diplopia) and involuntary eye movements (nystagmus).
Floaters are a common ocular symptom for individuals with multiple sclerosis, but MS isn't a leading cause. On their own, floaters don't usually indicate serious conditions. Eye conditions like optic neuritis can be an early warning sign of oncoming multiple sclerosis.
Exposure to stress has long been suspected as a factor that can aggravate MS. There are many studies showing that among people diagnosed with MS, stressful life events are associated with a significant increase in risk of MS exacerbation in the weeks or months following onset of the stressor.
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.
Vision problems, like blurred or double vision. Dizziness and a lack of coordination. Trouble walking, feeling unsteady, a loss of balance.