An Overview of Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
Most people experience their first
multiple sclerosis (
MS) symptoms between the ages of 20 and 40. Although scientists have documented cases of MS in young children and elderly adults, symptoms rarely begin before age 15 or after age 60.
Early Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis
Often, the first symptoms of multiple sclerosis are vague feelings of weakness, clumsiness, or exhaustion. Other early symptoms may include blurry vision or one or more areas of the skin feeling numb and tingly.
Usually these symptoms come and go unpredictably. The times when a person has symptoms of multiple sclerosis are called episodes or MS attacks. The episodes may last for a few days or weeks at a time.
Other Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
Other possible multiple sclerosis symptoms include:
- Double vision
- Weakness of the arms and legs
- Muscle stiffness
- Dizziness
- Loss of bladder control
- Depression
- Memory loss.
The times between episodes (when a person is not having multiple sclerosis symptoms) are called remissions. Many people with multiple sclerosis are able to function quite normally between episodes.
Myelin and Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
The symptoms that a person experiences -- and the severity of these symptoms -- will vary from person to person.
This depends on how much myelin (the covering of the nerves) has been lost and what parts of the central nervous system are affected.
The name "multiple sclerosis" simply refers to the buildup of scar tissue in the brain and spinal cord. With MS, this scarring, or "sclerosis," happens in multiple locations inside the central nervous system.
As the myelin sheath becomes damaged, the electric signals have a harder time getting though -- or become blocked entirely. As the damage progresses, this leads to the various symptoms of multiple sclerosis mentioned previously.
