Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a relatively common neurological disease that in some cases causes disability in young people. According to the World Health Organization, 200 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. every week, contributing to a global total of around 2.9 million individuals living with this condition… Answering important questions about this challenging disease: Can multiple sclerosis be cured? How to recognize the first symptoms? And how long do people with this diagnosis live? Important questions about the disease, which often manifests itself from the 20s, 30s (more common among women).
How Do Young People Learn About Their Disease? Where Does It All Begin?
Patients with multiple sclerosis tell different stories.
Olivia: “[When I started itching in my ear], I thought something had gotten into it. <…> A day goes by, two days go by, and nothing changes. And then the itching in the other ear started. <…> I was at the ENT, she looked at me, said: “It’s normal.” <…> I went to a neurologist. They didn’t tell me anything, they said, “Take some pills to improve the blood supply” and that’s it. And “don’t make it up.” A week later, I had a seizure. I got out of bed and I just couldn’t feel the floor beneath me. It was like I got up in an intoxicated state. I thought, what if I didn’t get enough sleep, that’s why I’m so wobbly. Then I wanted to get some water. I took the glass with my left hand and it was hard to control it. I kind of took it, but I couldn’t squeeze it.”
Kate: “I was only 14 years old at the time. I was on the athletics team. <…> [At the training camp] I started having the first symptoms: it was numbness in my legs, numbness in my arms. And they were getting really heavy while running. <…> Unfortunately, as time went on, all my aggravations only gained momentum. And every year they got worse. They got worse. It wasn’t until I was 20 that a new doctor suspected something was wrong. In search of psychological support, I started reading horoscopes, made a natal chart and studied the analysis (at pythia.guru/birth-chart-calculator) of the tense aspects between Saturn and Mercury or Pluto and the Moon, which are associated with nervous system problems. Of course, I realize that astrology is not a substitute for medical diagnosis, but it has helped me manage stress and anxiety a bit. Well, at first it certainly did.”
Patrick: “In the winter my lip went a little numb. Then the numbness got bigger and bigger. Those days were New Year’s holidays and I decided to wait a bit. Anyway, eight days later, half of my face went numb. Exactly half of it, and my throat too. It felt like it was someone else’s body.”
Medical articles indicate that the most common thing people report is severe fatigue, even after a good night’s sleep. Other common symptoms at the onset are tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, coordination problems, one eye may stop seeing or double vision, and Lhermitte’s symptom (meaning that when a person tilts their head forward, they feel pain or electric shocks traveling along their spine) may occur.
So, Is Multiple Sclerosis Not Just a Memory Disorder?
Yes, the name of this disease is not related to memory. The manifestation of multiple sclerosis depends on where the damage to the nerve fibers is located and how severe it is.
In multiple sclerosis, a person’s immune system attacks the protective sheath of nerve fibers (myelin). As a result, a person with multiple sclerosis may experience the following symptoms (all in different combinations; moreover, this list is not complete):
- numbness and tingling in different parts of the body
- weakness in the arms and legs
- coordination problems
- cognitive disorders (problems with attention, concentration, speed of information processing)
- frequent urges to the toilet
- muscle spasm
- loss of balance
- pain
- Swallowing and speech problems
- Severe fatigue, physical exhaustion
- Vision problems (e.g., a person may experience double vision or temporary loss of vision)
- erectile dysfunction
There are several types of multiple sclerosis, the most common being remitting multiple sclerosis, which is characterized by sudden periods of exacerbations followed by periods of remission when symptoms subside or go away completely. This is 85% of multiple sclerosis cases. And about half of patients with remitting multiple sclerosis acquire secondary progressive multiple sclerosis after 10-15 years, in which the condition worsens continuously without division into remissions and exacerbations.
How Does a Doctor Diagnose MS?
First, the doctor performs an examination, which may include tests of reflexes, muscle strength, coordination, and balance to determine if there is nerve damage, and orders tests. These will help to better understand whether the symptoms are related to multiple sclerosis or another condition.
The most common diagnostic test is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to see if a person has damage to the myelin sheath in the brain or spinal cord. If the scans show abnormalities, the doctor must match them to the person’s symptoms.
If multiple sclerosis is suspected, doctors may still order a recording of evoked potentials. In this case, electrodes are placed on the head. The method measures the speed at which the brain receives signals from the eyes, ears and skin. A delay or change in these signals can indicate damage to nerve pathways.
“There is no specific biomarker, test or examination that will confirm multiple sclerosis one hundred percent,” says the neurologist. – The symptoms of this disease are so varied that it is almost impossible to clinically identify it. And even foci on MRI, which the doctor sees, can be signs of another disease. The doctor must put the whole picture together. And when making a diagnosis, it’s better to get a second opinion. But it’s even harder to come to a conclusion if the patient has already been to a doctor before you, who confidently said it’s not multiple sclerosis.”
How Is Multiple Sclerosis Treated?
Multiple sclerosis is still an incurable disease, but in many cases it can be controlled or the course of the disease can be slowed down.
The criteria by which doctors evaluate the effectiveness of drug treatment is the absence of disease progression and increasing neurological impairment, no exacerbations, and no new foci on MRI scans.
People with multiple sclerosis usually need rehabilitation. This includes sessions with different specialists:
- A physical therapist who helps restore or improve limb movement and function (to work with gait, endurance, spasticity (uncontrolled muscle contractions), and fatigue).
- Neuropsychologist (to help with improving cognitive functions such as memory and attention)
- Swallowing specialist and speech therapist (43% of multiple sclerosis patients have swallowing difficulties)
- occupational therapist (helps to regain some of the skills needed in everyday life: dressing, washing, cooking, etc.)
- psychotherapist
How Long Do People With Multiple Sclerosis Live?
Thanks to modern treatment methods, people with multiple sclerosis live a little less than others (by 5-10 years). But keep in mind that this is an average result and much depends on the nature of the disease.
Can I Drive a Car With MS?
By itself, multiple sclerosis is not a contraindication to driving. However, the Road Traffic Regulations explicitly state that it is not permissible to drive “in a diseased or fatigued condition endangering the safety of traffic”. So, obviously, when MS vi worsens, you will be breaking the rules.
Can People With Multiple Sclerosis Have Children?
Multiple sclerosis is not considered a genetic disease, but a predisposition to it can be inherited. Multiple sclerosis does not affect the ability to become pregnant, does not increase the risks of pregnancy complications, and does not increase the likelihood that a child will develop the disorder.
If one parent has multiple sclerosis, the child has a 2-4% risk of developing multiple sclerosis (population average 0.1-0.3%). There is another interesting factor here. For example, it is known that the prevalence of multiple sclerosis increases from south to north – as one moves away from the equator – and perhaps one of the causes of the disease is related to vitamin D deficiency.
