Experiences with
Multiple sclerosisSymptoms of multiple sclerosis
The symptoms of MS vary widely from person to person and can affect any part of the body.
The main symptoms include:
- fatigue
- difficulty walking
- vision problems, such as blurred vision
- problems controlling the bladder
- numbness or tingling in different parts of the body
- muscle stiffness and spasms
- problems with balance and co-ordination
- problems with thinking, learning and planning
Depending on the type of MS you have, your symptoms may come and go in phases or get steadily worse over time (progress).
What causes multiple sclerosis?
MS is an autoimmune condition. This is when something goes wrong with the immune system and it mistakenly attacks a healthy part of the body – in this case, the brain or spinal cord of the nervous system.
In MS, the immune system attacks the layer that surrounds and protects the nerves called the myelin sheath.
This damages and scars the sheath, and potentially the underlying nerves, meaning that messages travelling along the nerves become slowed or disrupted.
Exactly what causes the immune system to act in this way is unclear, but most experts think a combination of genetic and environmental factors is involved.
Treatments for multiple sclerosis
There's currently no cure for MS, but a number of treatments can help control the condition and ease symptoms.
The treatment you need will depend on the specific symptoms and difficulties you have.
It may include:
- treating relapses with short courses of steroid medicine to speed up recovery
- specific treatments for individual MS symptoms
- treatment to reduce the number of relapses using medicines called disease-modifying therapies
Disease-modifying therapies may also help to slow or reduce the overall worsening of disability in people with a type of MS called relapsing remitting MS, and in some people with types called primary and secondary progressive MS, who have relapses.
Unfortunately, there's currently no treatment that can slow the progress of inactive progressive MS, with no relapses or MRI activity.
Many therapies aiming to treat progressive MS are currently being researched.
SymptomsMedical treatmentsCausesThere are many possible symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Common symptoms include tiredness, vision problems and problems with walking or balance.
Multiple sclerosis cannot be cured, but medicines and other treatments can help control the condition and ease some of the symptoms.
Multiple sclerosis is caused by your immune system mistakenly attacking the brain and nerves. It's not clear why this happens.
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