Multiple sclerosis is a disease that attacks the central nervous system. This disease is considered an inflammatory disease and tends to attack younger people and women in particular. The definition of multiple sclerosis is much more in depth than simply being an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system and varies depending on who is explaining the disease. This disease has many facets and symptoms that are different for every person who is diagnosed with is and this article attempts to define the disease in the best possible manner for people who have it and want to understand more about it.
Many Symptoms, One Disease
Multiple sclerosis presents itself in many different ways in different people. No two people will have the exact same set of symptoms. This variation in indicators is part of what makes multiple sclerosis hard to diagnose. Some of the most common symptoms that can be indicative of multiple sclerosis include those listed below; however, this should not be considered an exhaustive list as there can be many other symptoms depending on the extent of the disease and the part of the body that is being attacked the most.
- Weakness or generalized fatigue
- Numbness in various limbs of the body
- Vertigo
- Loss of balance
- Weak bladder
- Weak or poor vision
- Coordination problems
- Dexterity problems
- Loss of pain sensation
- Mental distress such as mania or depression
- Heat sensitivity – this is the worsening of other symptoms when exposed to heat.
- Cognitive issues such as impaired thinking.
- Muscle spasms in the arms and legs
- Abnormal sensations such as prickly feelings, burning, stabbing feelings that are not life threatening but are unexplained.
- Speech problems
- Swallowing problems
- Tremors – if present, tremors are hard to treat and can be debilitating.
- Breathing problems – more rare than most of the other symptoms.
- Seizures – also more rare than other symptoms.
If these symptoms are present and the doctor has had some experience with multiple sclerosis then testing will be done to determine if MS is the cause of these symptoms.
Neurological testing must be done and there has to be at least two indicators in the brain or spinal cord. Lesions on the white matter of the brain are one indicator that could be present to diagnose the disease.
Symptoms do not present themselves in the same manner or course in every person. Some people may start with only one symptom while others may have many different symptoms. The level of progression of the symptoms will also vary from person to person.
Different Levels of Multiple Sclerosis
In addition to diagnosing multiple sclerosis, the doctor must also determine at which level of multiple sclerosis the patient is presenting. There are three such levels or types of multiple sclerosis: relapse remitting, progressive and primary progressive, each described below.
Relapse remitting multiple sclerosis is typically the first type of multiple sclerosis to be diagnosed in a person. This type is part of what makes diagnosing MS difficult because, as the name implies, there are periods of active disease and periods of remission. These back and forth symptomatic periods come and go with no warning that they are going to occur. This stage of MS may continue for years or for a short period of time.
As multiple sclerosis progresses, the remission stages become shorter and the symptoms of the disease tend to worsen, this is known as secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. This stage happens at differing time periods of the disease. Some people will have a longer time in the relapsing remitting stage than others; however, secondary progressive tends to manifest at or around the ten year mark of having the disease.
Primary progressive is the worst level of multiple sclerosis and typically has no remission periods. This is the level of the disease that is the extreme end of the disease and typically signifies a shortening of life expectancy. It is hard to predict when this phase of the disease will manifest and is usually only diagnosed by the lack of remission periods.
These various phases or types of multiple sclerosis are highly unpredictable and difficult to diagnosis. Some people may go for as many as ten years without a flare up of the disease while others may have more frequent bouts and go from one extreme to the other. Doctors have to be very diligent in their testing and diagnosis of this disease in order to be certain they have made the correct diagnosis.
Defining multiple sclerosis is not as easy as reading a medical textbook and choosing the right disease. There are simply too many symptoms and signs that can point to many other diseases. Doctors must rely on testing of the brain and spinal cord combined with the presentation of symptoms in order to make a correct diagnosis.