The complications of MS range from mild to severe. They can range from fatigue to the inability to walk. Other problems include loss of vision, balance, and bowel or bladder control. Depression can result from the difficulty of living with a chronic condition.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system that can affect the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Common symptoms include fatigue, bladder and bowel problems, sexual problems, pain, cognitive and mood changes such as depression, muscular changes and visual changes.
Certain comorbidities are more prevalent in people with MS such as depression, anxiety, cerebro- and cardiovascular diseases, and certain autoimmune disorders such as diabetes, thyroid disease, and inflammatory bowel disease.
You have a slightly higher risk of developing MS if you have other autoimmune disorders such as thyroid disease, pernicious anemia, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Autoimmune comorbidities frequently occur in MS, which may arise due to genetic susceptibility to autoimmunity and overlapping pathological mechanisms common to several autoimmune conditions.
Overview. Autoimmune comorbidities occur frequently in multiple sclerosis (MS). They may arise as a consequence of a genetic susceptibility to autoimmunity.
Vision problems, such as double vision. Spasticity or stiffness of the muscles. Bowel and bladder problems, such as urgent need to urinate. Problems with cognition, such as learning and memory or information processing.
Multiple sclerosis is caused by your immune system mistakenly attacking the brain and nerves. It's not clear why this happens but it may be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Current or previous smokers with the highest levels of EBV antibodies were 70 percent more likely to develop MS than those with neither risk factor. Study Provides Strongest Evidence Yet for the Role of Epstein-Barr Virus in Triggering Multiple Sclerosis. Ask an MS Expert: The Role of Epstein-Barr Virus in MS.
Although more people are being diagnosed with MS today than in the past, the reasons for this are not clear. Likely contributors include greater awareness of the disease, better access to medical care and improved diagnostic capabilities. There is no definitive evidence that the rate of MS is generally on the increase.
MS is not directly inherited from parent to child. There's no single gene that causes it. Over 200 genes might affect your chances of getting MS.
The strongest genetic risk factor is a particular variant of the HLA-DRB1 gene, called HLA-DRB1*15:01. This gene belongs to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) family of genes, which help the immune system distinguish between infecting agents and the body's own healthy tissues.
A person with benign MS will have few symptoms or loss of ability after having MS for about 15 years, while most people with MS would be expected to have some degree of disability after that amount of time, particularly if their MS went untreated.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) appears in the NDIS List B disabilities. These are permanent conditions where the functioning capabilities of the person diagnosed are variable.
Unhealthy Habits
Smoking and alcohol use are modifiable risk factors — they can be altered by personal choice — and are known from large research studies to increase a person's risk of developing MS or of disease progression.
The countries where MS is common are also known for having diets high in saturated fats, animal fats and dairy products. However, these factors alone are not enough to cause MS. There is no direct link from eating the 'wrong' foods to getting MS.
The complications of MS range from mild to severe. They can range from fatigue to the inability to walk. Other problems include loss of vision, balance, and bowel or bladder control. Depression can result from the difficulty of living with a chronic condition.
Early MS symptoms often include: Vision problems such as blurred or double vision, or optic neuritis, which causes pain with eye movement and rapid vision loss. Muscle weakness, often in the hands and legs, and muscle stiffness accompanied by painful muscle spasms.
In many patients, over a span of 5 to 15 years, the attacks begin more indolently, persist more chronically and remit less completely, gradually transforming into a pattern of steady deterioration rather than episodic flares. This pattern is referred to as secondary progressive MS.
A wide range of conditions can be mistaken for MS, including: migraine, cerebral small vessel disease, fibromyalgia, functional neurological disorders, and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders, along with uncommon inflammatory, infectious and metabolic conditions (1, 3).
Can you have both MS and lupus? It's very rare, but a small number of people have been diagnosed with both MS and lupus. However, none of them had severe forms of either disease.