What Is Multiple Sclerosis?
The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) defines Multiple sclerosis (MS) as, “a condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance.
It's a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause serious disability, although it can occasionally be mild. MS is an autoimmune condition, which means your immune system mistakes part of your body for a foreign substance and attacks it. In the case of MS, it attacks the myelin sheath in the brain and spinal cord. This is the layer that surrounds your nerves, protecting them and helping electrical signals travel from the brain to the rest of the body.
In many cases, it's possible to treat symptoms. Average life expectancy is slightly reduced for people with MS. It's most commonly diagnosed in people in their 20s and 30s, although it can develop at any age. It's about 2 to 3 times more common in women than men. MS is 1 of the most common causes of disability in younger adults”.
What Are The Symptoms?
People experience varied symptoms of MS. in some, the symptoms may gradually worsen, while in others they may come and go. Some common symptoms of MS as stated by NHS are:
- fatigue
- vision problems
- numbness and tingling
- muscle spasms, stiffness, and weakness
- mobility problems
- pain
- problems with thinking, learning, and planning
- depression and anxiety
- sexual problems
- bladder problems
- bowel problems
- speech and swallowing difficulties
“Periods, when symptoms get worse, are known as relapses. Periods, when symptoms improve or disappear, are known as remissions.”
Study On Newly Diagnosed MS
According to a study by the University Of Michigan, published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal, people newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis experience a myriad of significant symptoms that often cluster together. The study was conducted on more than 200 people, in the year following diagnosis with MS. The incurable disease attacks the protective layer of a person’s nerves, which can lead to disability.
The study found that Participants endorsed clinically significant symptoms at some point in the post-diagnosis year at rates of 50.9% for pain, 62.6% for fatigue, 47.4% for depression, and 38.7% for anxiety. A majority of patients exhibited co-occurring symptoms-21.3% with two, 19.1% with three, and 17.4% with four. The proportions of patients with clinically significant symptoms were generally stable over time; however, rates of symptom development/recovery revealed fluctuations at the individual level.
“The months following MS diagnosis are often a stressful period of uncertainty and change,” said Thomas Valentine, Ph.D., lead author of the paper and multiple sclerosis rehabilitation research fellow at Michigan Medicine. “Our findings highlight the importance of early and routine assessment of patients’ symptoms so that those patients who might benefit from treatment can be identified and receive appropriate care.”
Hence, Pain, fatigue, depression, and anxiety are prevalent in newly diagnosed MS. Prompt screening and evidence-based interventions are necessary if the quality of life is to be optimized.
Also read: How Childhood Trauma Is Linked To Multiple Sclerosis
