Bowel symptoms can affect nearly 70 percent of individuals with MS. Because MS interrupts or slows the transmission of signals to and from the brain and spinal cord, the electrical impulses to the muscles that are involved in emptying the bowel can become disrupted.
Bowel problems in MS occur as a result of the disruption of messages between the brain and various parts of the digestive system. This causes problems with sensation in the back passage and control of the muscles at the bottom of the anus, resulting in problems such as constipation and incontinence.
Many people with multiple sclerosis experience bowel problems. Some people find that they have no control over when their bowels open, resulting in bowel accidents. Your health professional may refer to this as faecal incontinence.
Diarrhea may occur due to a loss of sensation in the rectal area, which results in involuntary relaxation, allowing the release of loose stool. MS may also cause overactive bowel functioning or sphincter abnormalities that can lead to diarrhea.
Bladder and bowel problems occur commonly in MS, and can range from mild incontinence or constipation to more severe problems. Bladder problems include the need to pass water frequently and/or urgently, incomplete emptying or emptying bladder at inappropriate times.
What causes exacerbations? Exacerbations (relapses) are caused by inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS). The inflammation damages the myelin, slowing or disrupting the transmission of nerve impulses and causing the symptoms of MS.
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.
Numbness of the face, body, or extremities (arms and legs) is often the first symptom experienced by those eventually diagnosed as having MS.
Causes of multiple sclerosis
your genes – MS isn't directly inherited, but people who are related to someone with the condition are more likely to develop it; the chance of a sibling or child of someone with MS also developing it is estimated to be around 2 to 3 in 100.
Bladder symptoms can usually be managed successfully with lifestyle modifications, medications, physical therapy and/or nerve stimulation procedures. diet modifications, adequate fluid intake up to a few hours before bedtime, bladder training or planned voiding, among others.
It's very common, affecting around 50 percent of people with the disease, according to an article published in July 2017 in the Journal of Neurology. One form this dysfunction can take is bowel incontinence, or inability to control bowel movements.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). In MS , the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body.
Overview. Bowel dysfunction can cause a great deal of discomfort and embarrassment, and can aggravate other MS symptoms such as spasticity or bladder dysfunction. Constipation, loss of control of the bowels, and diarrhea are among the bowel problems that can occur in MS (. pdf).
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.
MS itself is rarely fatal, but complications may arise from severe MS, such as chest or bladder infections, or swallowing difficulties. The average life expectancy for people with MS is around 5 to 10 years lower than average, and this gap appears to be getting smaller all the time.
Age. Most people diagnosed with MS, are between the ages of 20 and 50 years old, although MS can develop at any age.
People may experience blurred vision, double vision, eye pain or loss of color vision. Difficulty articulating words or swallowing and slurred speech may occur if there's damage to the area that controls the mouth and throat.
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.
Incorporation of palliative care, including end-of-life planning, is one way to ensure that people with MS receive the necessary attention to their issues in medical, psychosocial, functional and spiritual domains throughout their entire disease course.
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.
The third form, secondary-progressive MS (SPMS), is the major progressive subtype. These are people who begin to slowly worsen 5 to 15 years after the first relapse. Once relapsing patients enter a progressive phase, they either stop having relapses or continue to experience exacerbations while slowly worsening.
While many with MS will experience depression or anxiety at some point, more rarely, some people experience changes to their emotions or behaviour that don't seem to make sense, or that they aren't able to control.
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.