How serious is multiple sclerosis?

It can cause symptoms like problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance. It's a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause serious disability. In many cases, it's possible to treat symptoms. Average life expectancy is slightly reduced for people with MS.

How do you cope with multiple sclerosis?

Should I be worried about multiple sclerosis?

That said, certain symptoms should prompt you to seek help. If you're experiencing blurred vision, numbness, weakness or dizziness at the same time and for more than a day, those symptoms could be potential early signs of MS. It's important not to let too much time slip by before seeing a doctor.

Do you live a normal life with MS?

You may have to adapt your daily life if you're diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), but with the right care and support many people can lead long, active and healthy lives.

What is the life expectancy of an MS patient?

Average life span of 25 to 35 years after the diagnosis of MS is made are often stated. Some of the most common causes of death in MS patients are secondary complications resulting from immobility, chronic urinary tract infections, compromised swallowing and breathing.

Genes Linked to Most Severe Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis

Can MS go away?

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.

What age can MS start?

MS can occur at any age, but onset usually occurs around 20 and 40 years of age. However, younger and older people can be affected. Sex. Women are more than 2 to 3 times as likely as men are to have relapsing-remitting MS .

Is MS treatable if caught early?

We know early treatment improves long-term health and wellbeing by slowing down the build up of irreversible damage and reducing the number of relapses people experience. Starting MS treatment early is best but if you start later it can also have some benefits.

Who gets multiple sclerosis?

Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although MS can occur in young children and older adults. Where is MS most commonly found? In general, MS is more common in areas farthest from the equator.

How quickly does MS progress?

Most symptoms develop abruptly, within hours or days. These attacks or relapses of MS typically reach their peak within a few days at most and then resolve slowly over the next several days or weeks so that a typical relapse will be symptomatic for about eight weeks from onset to recovery.

How does MS usually start?

Numbness or Tingling

Numbness of the face, body, or extremities (arms and legs) is often the first symptom experienced by those eventually diagnosed as having MS.

How does MS usually begin?

Here's where MS (typically) starts

Although a number of MS symptoms can appear early on, two stand out as occurring more often than others: Optic neuritis, or inflammation of the optic nerve, is usually the most common, Shoemaker says. You may experience eye pain, blurred vision and headache.

What are early warning signs of MS?

What is the best lifestyle for MS?

Research shows that a healthy diet, exercise, not smoking, ongoing preventive care and management of other medical conditions not only contribute to overall health but can also impact a person's MS progression and lifespan. MS management is an essential component of optimal physical wellness.

How to live life with MS?

Who is high risk for MS?

Several studies have shown that obesity in childhood and adolescence, particularly in girls, increased the risk of later developing MS. Other studies have shown that obesity in early adulthood may also contribute to an increased risk of developing MS.

Why are more people getting MS?

In the 1970s, when the number of people living with MS was estimated to be in the 400,000 range, the world population was 3.6 billion. With the population more than doubling since the last MS prevalence rate was estimated, population growth could explain the rise in the cases of MS in the most recent survey.

How do you stop MS from progressing?

What happens once diagnosed with MS?

Treatments are available for the symptoms of MS no matter what type of MS you have. Talk about the options for treating any symptoms you're experiencing with your health professionals. Treatment might involve taking medication, therapies such as physiotherapy, or a combination of both.

Can MS stay mild?

Benign MS is a variation of relapsing-remitting MS. This is a form of the condition in which new or worsening symptoms are very mild or don't flare up for a long period of time. That's why doctors wait so long to diagnose it.

Does MS run in families?

MS can happen more than once in a family, but it's much more likely this will not happen. There's only about a 1.5% chance of a child developing MS when their mother or father has it (that means around one in 67 get it).

How do you confirm MS diagnosis?

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

It's very accurate and can pinpoint the exact location and size of any inflammation, damage or scarring (lesions). MRI scans confirm a diagnosis in over 90 per cent of people with MS.

Does MS always end in paralysis?

Whether a person with MS becomes paralyzed may depend upon the severity of the MS and where the lesions, or damaged areas on the nerve fibers, are located.