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.
If you or your loved one has MS, you are probably familiar with symptoms such as difficulty walking, fatigue, and numbness or tingling. These and other physical symptoms can be severe and limiting. However, emotional changes and mental health challenges can be just as (if not more) disabling.
The ongoing fatigue and pain of the condition can drain energy, sexual dysfunction can affect relationships, and movement and coordination difficulties can impair daily function. MS can affect people in different ways.
Contents. 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.
MS is unpredictable. Different people with MS experience different symptoms at different stages. You don't know how they'll feel day to day or even hour to hour, so it's important to be flexible with your plans. You don't have to let MS rule your lives, but you do have to be willing to adapt.
Multiple sclerosis can take a toll on all your relationships. If your symptoms flare, you might not be able to go to family dinners or social events after work. You may feel that you've let people down. MS also can affect your self-esteem.
Marriage and MS
Researchers found that not only did 31 percent of marriages involving at least one sick partner result in a divorce, but the risk of separation for older couples was higher when the wife was sick, rather than the husband.
Disease Course of MS Is Unpredictable
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.
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.
Factors that may trigger MS include: Exposure to certain viruses or bacteria: Some research suggests that being exposed to certain infections (such as Epstein-Barr virus) can trigger MS later in life. Where you live: Your environment may play a role in your risk for developing MS.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Studies have shown that MS disrupts several social cognitive abilities [including empathy and theory of mind (ToM)].
Study participants with MS were compared to a control group. The researchers found that people with MS were more likely to be angry (trait anger), have a higher intensity of anger (state anger), and express anger either outwardly or inwardly, as compared to the control group.
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.
After the first onset of symptoms, patients generally experience more relapse episodes and rapid deterioration of their neurological and physical abilities over a short period of time.
The study found that people with MS lived to be 75.9 years old, on average, compared to 83.4 years old for those without. That 7.5-year difference is similar to what other researchers have found recently.
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).
Losing your ability to communicate. Immobility, which may lead to pressure sores and blood clots. Increased levels of pain. Mental decline or confusion.
Outlook. The outlook for benign MS isn't clear. Some people who are diagnosed with it never go on to have a more serious disease progression, while others do. Remember, just because you have mild symptoms when you're first diagnosed with MS doesn't mean that they'll stay that way.
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.
The partner also experiences losses in terms of role and relationship changes, career and financial difficulties, and reduced physical intimacy. Each of these issues places additional strain on the relationship. Some partners even feel as though the relationship journey is easier for the person who has MS.
White people, particularly those of Northern European descent, are at highest risk of developing MS . People of Asian, African or Native American descent have the lowest risk.
Some of the factors that have been suggested as possible causes of MS include: 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.
Living with the symptoms of MS can be very draining, both physically and emotionally. Fatigue, pain, depression and anxiety can leave you feeling very fragile. If you're not sleeping well, or are feeling under pressure, that can make things seem even more difficult.