Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Symptoms
Multiple Sclerosis is accompanied by invisible symptoms, which confuses people and makes it difficult for them to believe that the disease even exists. These symptoms depend on the area affected, and the lesions vary from one person to another. Symptoms such as fatigue and mild numbness can easily be mistaken for everyday symptoms that arise from a stressful lifestyle. No two people have the same symptoms, which makes MS difficult to diagnose.
Early symptoms include:
- vision problems, such as blurred vision, double vision, or optic neuritis, which causes pain when moving the eyes and rapid vision loss
- muscular deficiency, and stiffness accompanied by painful muscle cramps
- pain in the arms or legs accompanied by tingling and numbness
- balance disorder
- urinary incontinence and bowel movement changes
- intermittent or constant dizziness
Less common symptoms include difficulty speaking, trouble swallowing, and vertigo. More than half of MS patients report fatigue as one of their most bothersome symptoms. Some patients have reported heat hypersensitivity to their neurologists. More than 40 percent of patients have pain as a symptom.
In multiple sclerosis, pain can be located anywhere in the body and varies in intensity. It can be present in the form of cramps, spasms, or burning sensations. Also, the involuntary muscle movements that MS patients suffer from can cause pain, thus affecting the quality of life. Sometimes the pain can be felt in the internal organs. Occasionally, MS affects hearing, with people accusing sounds of being painfully loud and in extreme cases, leading to hearing loss.
Multiple sclerosis also causes mental fatigue, depression, and mood
swings. Furthermore, some patients experience concentration problems and
memory difficulties.
The worsening of symptoms varies, with some people having a slow
progression while others significantly rapid. Sometimes, MS can lead to
slight or complete paralysis.
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