The MS is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system. It affects millions of people every year. This disease blocks the transmission of messages between the brain and the immune system that protects your body and its many vital functions. Therefore, the immune system begins to attack itself by mistake. Therefore, some medical professionals classify it as an autoimmune syndrome.
It is still under discussion whether this condition is inflammatory or autoimmune, which shows the lack of clarity that still exists regarding this disease. While researchers know a lot about MS, they cannot yet determine the precise cause.
Here is what we know. MS compromises your nervous system, your organs, and your health. This disorder particularly attacks the protective covering of nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain, diminishing their function and eventually rendering them useless.
The symptoms of multiple sclerosis may vary how and how serious they progress become; While some only experience fatigue and numbness in the limbs, others experience vision loss, coordination problems, and paralysis.
How does multiple sclerosis develop?
While a definitive cause has yet to be identified, it is believed that certain viruses, environmental factors, stress, or a combination of the three trigger multiple sclerosis as it causes the immune system to turn against you and attack delicate nerve cells. the brain and spinal cord.
While there is still no cure for multiple sclerosis, learning to live with the disease includes a plan that incorporates diet, movement, and management of nerve damage to provide a better quality of life.
18 early warning signs of multiple sclerosis
Developing an awareness of the signs and symptoms of MS and identifying them is essential for proactive treatment that can reduce their severity and slow their progression.
Many women, in particular, overlook the early onset of symptoms because they are raising families, or are too busy with work and home responsibilities, and do not provide the kind of self-care necessary to identify and manage the disease.
Look for these 18 early warning signs of multiple sclerosis that can help you on your way to better health:
1. Vision changes or loss
Vision problems are one of the first symptoms that indicate possible multiple sclerosis. Inflammation in the brain affects the optic nerve that runs the length of the back of each eye; vision is compromised when this nerve is not working properly.
You may experience blurry, double, or tunnel vision, as well as pain when moving your eyes. While vision loss can be a gradual progression, it is never something to be taken lightly.
2. Numbness and tingling
The center of the body's messages is the brain and spinal cord. MS attacks these two nerve centers, making communication between the brain and the extremities extremely difficult.
When no signals reach parts of the body, this can cause numbness and tingling. You may experience intermittent tingling and loss of sensation in the face, feet, hands, toes, and fingers, gradually progressing to the arms, legs, and other larger parts of the body.
3. Pain and spasms
Involuntary muscle spasms and pain are an indicator of possible MS. Most people with multiple sclerosis report daily pain in one or more areas of the body. Stiff joints, muscles, and involuntary spasms become part of daily life as the disease progresses
4. Fatigue and weakness
More than 80 percent of people find that MS begins as chronic fatigue. This symptom occurs because the nerves along the spine deteriorate, causing weakness in the bones and muscles.
5. Dizziness and balance problems
Coordination and balance problems can make mobility a problem for people with undiagnosed multiple sclerosis. People can often feel dizzy, and experience periods of vertigo, in which they feel their surroundings begin to revolve around them.
Occurs most often when someone stands up, this symptom comes and goes at first, then becomes part of the daily experience.
6. Dysfunction of the bladder and intestines
Almost 80 percent of MS patients report some bladder and bowel dysfunction. Problems can include frequent urination, a strong urge to urinate, or even an inability to hold urine. Less often, people may experience problems with bowel control, such as constipation, diarrhea, and loss of control.
7. Sexual complications
Stimulation in the nervous system influences sexual response in both men and women. As multiple sclerosis develops, loss of nerve sensation and function becomes apparent as sexual desire decreases, sexual responses lose their strength, and complications occur.
In men, this lack of sexual response can be particularly stressful, as it causes erectile dysfunction.
8. Cognitive problems
Unfortunately, the brain is greatly affected by the onset of MS and its symptoms. Signs that cognitive decline is occurring include:
· Memory loss
· Less attention span
· Problems with language and comprehension
· Difficulty staying organized
· Due to this cognitive degeneration, MS can also affect emotional health.
9. Emotional volatility
The development of depression becomes common for those who suffer from MS. The stress of the condition can also cause irritability, anger, mood swings, anxiety, and sadness. In some people, this emotional instability manifests as a condition called the pseudobulbar effect - alternating crying and laughing episodes that the patient cannot predict or control.
10. Hearing loss
For some people, damage to the neural pathways in the brain responsible for auditory stimuli can cause tinnitus and eventually hearing loss. Some other patients experience a very sudden and dramatic hearing loss that occurs almost instantly. In any case, the loss of one of our most precious senses is traumatic.
11. Seizures
Seizures can be one of the first noticeable signs of MS before a doctor makes a diagnosis. Even if epilepsy is not a known condition, about 5 percent of people with MS experience some form of seizure activity as the brain begins to break connections with neural pathways that affect other areas of the body.
12. Tremors
Tremors are involuntary muscle contractions that result in a rhythmic movement of a part of the body back and forth. The hands and feet may be affected more often, but the tremors will likely extend to the legs, head, vocal cords, and trunk. They can be mild in nature or get worse over time.
13. Breathing difficulties
The autonomic nervous system controls respiration; Most of us don't have to think about regulating our breathing while doing our daily activities. As multiple sclerosis progresses, it compromises the autonomic nervous system's ability to carry out its automatic functions.
As a result, a person may begin to develop breathing difficulties that make it difficult to carry out daily activities.
14. Difficulty speaking
As communication between the brain and the nerves breaks down, the messages that are meant to be translated into speech become confused, making it difficult for someone to communicate clearly.
Loss of muscle control in the cheeks, mouth, and tongue can make it difficult for vowels and consonants to form over time, and even the most articulate people may find it increasingly frustrating to try to express themselves through speech.
15. Trouble swallowing
People with multiple sclerosis can develop lesions all over the body, and it can be difficult to swallow beyond these open sores, making eating and drinking nearly impossible.
This loss of muscle control around the mouth and in the esophagus increases the risk of suffocation when a person tries to eat and drink. Great care must be taken when eating to ensure that you can safely ingest liquids and solid foods.
16. Increase in symptoms with menstruation
Many women report increased MS symptoms when they have their period; medical professionals attribute these symptoms to a decrease in estrogen levels that exacerbate symptoms. These worsened symptoms include dizziness, fatigue, compromised balance, and muscle weakness.
17. Complications of pregnancy
While pregnancy and fertility are not affected by MS symptoms, symptoms tend to recur after delivery. Some common ailments of pregnant women can be taken for common problems, such as pain, fatigue, and mood swings.
But they could also be signs that a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis is underway; Observing the symptoms and observing their frequency, duration and severity will help you to take the correct course of treatment if MS is discovered.
18. Worsening of menopausal symptoms
For some women, the symptoms of multiple sclerosis get very bad at the beginning of menopause. This may be due, in part, to a drop in estrogen levels that the body no longer produces. Hormone replacement therapy may ease the symptoms of menopause. However, this treatment can also backfire.
Hormone replacement therapy has had links to heart disease, breast cancer, and stroke, so it may not be a good option for treating minor aches and pains that could quickly progress to major health problems.
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