MS can have debilitating effects, such as paralysis, blindness, impaired thinking and loss of bladder and bowel control. That's because scar tissue forms around the nerve fibers, preventing them from sending electrical impulses to and from your brain.
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.
Fatigue is also among the most common symptoms, reported by at least 75% of MS patients at some point in the disease course. For many, fatigue is considered to be the single most debilitating symptom, surpassing pain and even physical disability.
Although MS can sometimes be a debilitating disease, the majority of people who have it don't become severely disabled, according to the National MS Society.
MS is a chronic disease that affects people differently. A small number of people with MS will have a mild course with little to no disability, whereas others will have a steadily worsening disease that leads to increased disability over time.
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.
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.
Many people worry about needing to use a wheelchair at some point. No-one one can be certain how your MS will affect you, although most people with MS don't use a wheelchair.
Multiple sclerosis is not generally the cause of death, but it can be a severely disabling condition. People with MS live slightly less long than those without the condition. This may be due to disease complications or other associated medical problems.
Lesions in the brain may affect cognitive abilities. Some people with MS have trouble with memory, attention and concentration, multitasking and decision-making, says Dr. Scherz. The changes are usually mild at the beginning, but can be frustrating as time goes by.
Between 1 and 2 in every 10 people with the condition start their MS with a gradual worsening of symptoms. In primary progressive MS, symptoms gradually worsen and accumulate over several years, and there are no periods of remission, though people often have periods where their condition appears to stabilise.
Many people with MS choose to use wheelchairs or scooters from time to time or to do certain things, perhaps because of symptoms like fatigue or weakness, or to conserve energy.
MS fatigue can be physical and mental; it saps energy in an instant and can stop you from completing tasks. MS fatigue can be very debilitating and, unlike 'ordinary' fatigue, it can take a long time to recover from. MS fatigue is often overwhelming.
Pulmonary complications.
MS can weaken the muscles that control the lungs. Such respiratory issues are the major cause of sickness and death in people in the final stages of MS.
Four disease courses have been identified in multiple sclerosis: clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), primary progressive MS (PPMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS).
feeding difficulties – which may require a feeding tube or result in severe weight loss. difficulties breathing due to weakening of the respiratory muscles. difficulty with speech or losing the ability to speak. pressure sores due to immobility – which are at risk of becoming infected.
Multiple sclerosis is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the protective covering of the nerve cells in the brain, optic nerve and spinal cord, called the myelin sheath. And this sheath is often compared to the insulation on an electrical wire.
Eighty percent of people who have multiple sclerosis (MS) experience problems with walking within 10 to 15 years of the onset of disease, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS).
Having MS does not automatically mean you can claim – it is how your MS impacts on your life that counts. Things like your income, age, and household, can play their part in the decision-making process.
Many people with MS may live for 25 to 35 years or longer after their diagnosis. Survival is improving in MS patients, but chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, depression, or diabetes may lower life expectancy in MS.
your genes – MS isn't directly inherited, but people who are related to someone with the condition are more likely to develop it; the chance of a sibling or child of someone with MS also developing it is estimated to be around 2 to 3 in 100.