24 Early Signs of Multiple Sclerosis

The signs and symptoms of MS vary depending on the nerves affected and the extent of nerve damage.

Multiple sclerosis(MS) is a progressive disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).MSis an autoimmune disease; the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the cells of the nervous system. The immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers, eventually resulting in deterioration of the nerves and permanent damage of the nerves.MSis a disease with flares and symptom-free intervals. The symptoms of the disease become worse over time (relapsing), followed by periods of less severe symptoms (remitting) without asymptotic periods. The exact cause is not known but there are several risk factors, such as:

• Age: MS commonly occurs between 20 and 40 years of age but can occur at any age.
• Sex: Women are two to three times more prone to develop the disease than men.
• Family history: The risk of developing the disease increases if one of the parents, grandparents, or siblings have the disease.
• Certain infections: Infections likeinfectious mononucleosis(kissing disease) caused by theEpstein-Barr viruscan increase the risk of MS.
• Race: People with lighter skin tone, especially those of Northern European descent, are at the highest risk of developing MS, while Asians have the lowest risk.
• Vitamin D deficiency: Having low levels ofVitamin Dcan increase the risk of MS.
• Other autoimmune diseases: Having other autoimmune disorders, such aspsoriasis,type 1 diabetes, orinflammatory bowel disease(IBD), can increase the risk of MS.
• Smoking:Smokingmay increase the risk of developing MS.

The signs and symptoms of MS vary depending on the nerves affected and the extent of nerve damage. MS can progress leading to permanent disabilities, while others may experience long periods of remission (asymptomatic periods) without any new symptoms. There is no cure formultiple sclerosis;然而,有几种治疗方案艾娃ilable to manage symptoms and modify the course of the disease and slow the progression. With treatment, most people with MS have a normal life expectancy. Without treatment, the disease progresses leading to debilitating complications.

MS presents differently in different individuals affected. Some people may only have mild symptoms, while for others, it may be debilitating, losing the ability to read, write, speak, or walk. The twenty-four earlysymptoms of MSinclude:

1. Numbness in the hands andfeet
2. 刺痛和e如坐针毡的感觉xtremities
3. Shooting pains in the back when in a hot shower
4. Muscle painandcramps
5. Musclestiffness
6. Generalized bodypain
7. Increased frequency of urination and inability to hold urine
8. Scanning slow speech
9. Twitching of face muscles
10. Diarrheaorconstipation
11. Loss of bowel control
12. Facialpain
13. Eye pain
14. Decreased vision
15. Diplopia(double vision)
16. 不热
17. Fatigueandweakness
18. Giddiness
19. Reduced attention span, concentration, memory, and judgment
20. Personality changes
21. Depression
22. Seizures
23. 困难walkingand maintaining balance
24. The symptoms can worsen in women aftermenopause

Multiple sclerosiscan lead to the following complications:

• Stiffness and spasms of the muscles
• Paralysis, typically in the legs, leading to the inability to walk
• Loss of bowel and bladder
• Sexual dysfunction
• Personality changes
• Depression
• Euphoria
• Epilepsy
• Pneumonia