If MS reaches an advanced stage, a person may experience a loss of mobility and other life-altering symptoms. They may no longer be able to speak, write, or walk, and they may need dedicated care to meet their needs. MS is not a fatal condition, except in the very rare cases when it progresses rapidly.
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.
Summary. 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.
These symptoms can fluctuate depending on the time of day. For example, symptoms affected by heat tend to be worse during the day, while muscle tightness and pain worsen at night. There are things people with MS can do to cope with symptoms during day and night time fluctuations.
“Fulminate MS” is a rapidly progressive disease course with severe relapses within five years after diagnosis; also known as “malignant MS” or “Marburg MS,” this form of very active MS may need to be treated more aggressively than other forms.
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.
Losing your ability to communicate. Immobility, which may lead to pressure sores and blood clots. Increased levels of pain. Mental decline or confusion.
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.
Typical triggers for pseudo-flares include high body temperature from fever, infection, too much exercise, or activity; getting your period; new medications; and stress.
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.
Causes (etiology) of multiple sclerosis
Scientists believe that a combination of factors trigger the disease. Studies support the opinion that MS is caused when people with the right combination of genes are exposed to some trigger in the environment. Research also suggests that ethnicity and geography play a role.
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.
If your symptoms of MS are severe enough, that you think you might be out of work because of it, then you may want to consider applying for disability for 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).
Over time, more than two-thirds of people remain able to walk, although they may need an ambulation aid such as a cane or walker to do so. Some may choose to use a motorized scooter or wheelchair for long distances, in order to conserve energy and remain more active; others may need to use a wheelchair all the time.
When the condition rapidly progresses, it is known as an acute form of the condition called fulminant multiple sclerosis. This condition is sometimes referred to as Marburg-type MS . This disorder causes destruction of the coating (myelin) that surrounds and protects nerve fibers (axons).
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.
People with primary progressive MS (PPMS) may have progressive memory loss and mild to moderate loss of attention and focus that seems like dementia. These may be due to lesions and reduced blood flow in areas of the brain like the frontal or temporal lobes, as well as the white matter.
Tiredness is one of the most common symptoms of a flare. You may also experience weakness or malaise (a general overall feeling of sickness). During a flare, fatigue may be caused by cytokines — substances produced by the immune system.
Ocrelizumab (Ocrevus).
It also slows the progression of the primary-progressive form of multiple sclerosis. This humanized monoclonal antibody medication is the only DMT approved by the FDA to treat both the relapse-remitting and primary-progressive forms of MS .