Don’t Miss These Signs of Multiple Sclerosis

Although there's no exact pattern of symptoms in MS, don't ignore these possible warning signs.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that is unpredictable 和 can be debilitating. It occurs when something triggers a person's immune system to attack the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers within the central nervous system, 叫做髓磷脂. This interrupts communication signals to 和 from the brain, which can result in a variety of symptoms, 从麻木, pain 和 loss of mobility to memory problems, 情绪变化和疲劳.

People of any age can develop MS, but onset of the disease most often occurs between ages 20 和 40. Symptoms of the disease can vary widely, so MS may look very different from one person to the next. A person's symptoms may also change over time. Differences in symptoms depend on what area of the central nervous system is affected 和 how severe damage is to the nerve fibers.

Because of this, there are not necessarily early signs of the disease. Symptoms one person has may not be experienced by another. Or they may be experienced but not in the same order. Or they may occur once, never to occur again.

There's no exact pattern of symptoms but any of the following symptoms may be a warning sign that you have MS:

• Numbness, tingling or weakness in your limbs that typically occurs on one side of your body
• 缺乏协调
• 失去平衡
• 不稳定的步态
• 不能行走
• 头晕
• 僵硬、痉挛或震颤
• Loss of vision, usually in one eye
• 视物模糊
• 眼动疼痛
• 眩晕
• Bowel 和 bladder function issues
• 乏力
• 口齿不清
• 认知问题
• 情绪波动
• 性问题

Many of these symptoms can also be attributed to other conditions, so just having these symptoms doesn't mean you have MS. In fact, there's a good chance you don't. But if you're concerned about whether your symptoms are a sign of MS, talk to your doctor. He or she will listen to your symptoms, examine you 和 then may order some tests or refer you to a 神经学家 for further evaluation.

With MS, you may have only one of these symptoms at any given time or you may have multiple symptoms. The symptoms may come 和 go quickly or they may linger. Many people with MS experience periods of new or recurring symptoms, 被称为复发, followed by periods of remission when symptoms partially or completely improve. This is referred to as relapsing remitting MS.

Periods of remission may last months or even years, 但每次复发后, your body may find it harder to repair the damage caused by the relapse, which can make your disability worse over time. That's why early treatment of MS is important – it helps to slow down the build-up of irreversible damage caused by relapses by reducing the number of relapses you experience.

Although there is no cure for MS, there are medications that help manage symptoms 和 stall progression of the disease. 看到一个 神经学家 if you have suspected symptoms of MS is one of the best things you can do because early diagnosis helps you better manage this disease.