MS symptoms can be mild or severe, long-lasting or temporary, and may appear in various combinations. This all depends on the area of the nervous system that is affected. Complete or partial remission of MS symptoms, especially in the early stages of the disease, occurs in approximately 70 percent of people with
multiple sclerosis.
Some of the most common MS symptoms to first appear are:
- Blurred or double vision
- Trouble telling the difference between red and green
- Blindness in one eye.
For some unexplained reason, visual problems tend to clear up in the later stages of MS.
Fifty-five percent of people with MS will have an attack of optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve that causes visual problems) at some time or another, and it will be the first MS symptom in approximately 15 percent. Because of this, optic neuritis is thought to be an early MS symptom, especially if tests also reveal abnormalities in the patient's spinal fluid.
MS symptoms can include any of the following:
- Problems with vision
- Muscle weakness
- Spasticity (tight muscles due to increased muscle tone)
- Fatigue
- Impaired sensitivity to pain, temperature, and touch
- Pain (moderate to severe -- see MS Pain)
- Lack of coordination
- Tremor (shaking)
- Depression
- Sexual problems
- Difficulty speaking
- Vertigo (feeling that the room is spinning)
- Bladder problems
- Bowel problems
- Euphoria (extreme happiness)
- Difficulty thinking clearly.
MS Symptoms: Weakness and Lack of Coordination
Most patients with MS experience muscle weakness in their legs and arms, and difficulty with coordination and balance at some time during the course of the disease. These MS symptoms may be severe enough to impair walking or even standing. In the worst cases, MS can produce partial or complete paralysis.
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