Multiple sclerosis. What are the first symptoms of the disease?

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Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease of the nervous system in which nerve impulses are not transmitted properly. The name comes from the “spread” of disorders in various parts of the system. The disease often leads to disability.

1. Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system
2. The causes of this disease are unknown. The hypotheses are based on the participation of environmental, genetic and autoimmune factors
3. The first symptoms are most often limb paresis, visual and sensory disturbances, as well as imbalance and coordination disorders
4. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

Multiple Sclerosis – What is it?

Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system. The disease belongs to the group of inflammatory demyelinating ailments. In Poland, about 45 thousand people suffer from this ailment. people, mainly between the ages of 20 and 40. People who are under 18 and over 50 are rarely ill. Multiple sclerosis affects women more often than men (it affects them twice as often).

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Multiple sclerosis – causes

The causes of multiple sclerosis are not fully known. Its formation is greatly influenced by demyelinating foci located around the brain and spinal cord. Multiple sclerosis attacks the myelin, which is responsible for building the sheaths of nerve fibers. Multiple sclerosis causes these sheaths to be destroyed and the “naked” fibers are unable to conduct signals from the central nervous system well. This state of affairs consequently leads to neurological problems and the development of symptoms of the disease, as you can read below.

There are some assumptions about the causes of multiple sclerosis. All hypotheses are based on the participation of environmental, genetic and autoimmune factors.

1. Autoimmune factor: in the course of the autoimmune process, the patient’s body produces proteins – autoantibodies that destroy myelin (its own nerve fibers), causing the patient’s body to attack itself.
2. Genetic factor: It has been proven that the development of multiple sclerosis is approximately twenty times greater in first-degree relatives of a patient than in non-relatives.
3. Environmental factor: the environmental factors influencing the occurrence of multiple sclerosis include: place of residence and birth, because the farther from the equator, the greater the chance of the disease; environmental pollution, smoking, diet, vitamin D deficiency and hormones.

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Multiple sclerosis – symptoms

Multiple sclerosis is associated with a number of symptoms, often appearing several years before diagnosis. One of them is fatigue, not dependent on physical exertion. Another symptom of multiple sclerosis is retrobulbar optic neuritispreceded by frequent visual disturbances.

In the first stage of the disease, the most common symptoms are:

1. limb paresis, 
2. visual disturbances (visual field defects and double vision),
3. sensory disturbances, 
4. disorders of balance and coordination of movements.

The symptoms of the disease are not uniform and are not always of the same severity in all patients. They most often appear as a group of disease symptoms – in some it will be paresis, in others slight hypoaesthesia. In subsequent phases, they are accompanied by sphincter disorders, emotional instability, muscle tension, dizziness and frequent falls.

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Multiple sclerosis – the classification of symptoms due to the involvement of the structure of the brain or spine

The neurological symptoms of multiple sclerosis are divided into:

1. eye disorders: pain in the eye and eyebrow ridge, double vision, nystagmus, eye disorders, inflammation of the optic nerve,
2. sensory disturbance: tingling, feeling cold, numbness, feeling hot, hypersensitivity to heat,
3. problems with maintaining balance and coordination of movements: excessively large movements, partial loss of control over the limbs, trembling hands, loss of balance, problems with coordination of movements,
4. spasticity, i.e. muscle tension disorders: muscle stiffness, muscle spasms, pathological reflexes,
5. speech problems: gibberish, slow speech,
6. problems urinating and having a bowel movement: urinary incontinence, constipation or lack of stool control, lack of sphincter control, feeling of incomplete bowel movement, frequent bowel movements,
7. sex problems: less libido, impotence, vaginal dryness, less sensitivity to touch, late ejaculation,
8. emotional, cognitive and psychopathological disorders: problems with short-term memory, depression, bad mood, fatigue, learning problems, concentration disorders, speech disorders,
9. fatigue syndrome: the most troublesome symptom. Fatigue is most pronounced in the afternoons.

Multiple sclerosis – types of disease

Multiple sclerosis is divided into four forms, this division is related to the different course of the disease and different symptoms in individual people.

Relapsing remitting sclerosis: it is the most common form of the disease. It manifests itself most often in patients under 40 years of age, and its course is characterized by relapses and remissions. What does it mean? A relapse is new symptoms of the disease or exacerbation of existing ones, it lasts at least a day. If the patient had the last relapse a month ago (minimum), and the deterioration of his health is not related to other factors, e.g. influenza, infection – we can speak of a relapse. The improvement of the patient’s health occurs after about four or twelve weeks, which is already called remission, i.e. a state without symptoms or their worsening. Subsequent relapses cause unpleasant neurological complications, which may lead to disability. Multiple sclerosis relapses occur every few weeks, months, or even years.

Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: this type of disease most often occurs in patients over 40 years of age and in whom the disease has been relapsing-remitting for 10-15 years. Unfortunately, this form of the disease does not bring any desired improvement, and the patient’s condition slowly worsens (neurological symptoms increase).

Primary progressive sclerosis: most often manifests itself in the male sex after 40 years of age, it is a group of about 10-15 percent. patients with multiple sclerosis. Unpleasant neurological ailments worsen from the beginning of the disease. Patients have problems with movement, coordination and weakness in the legs.

Primary Exacerbation Multiple Sclerosis: it is the rarest form of multiple sclerosis, it occurs in only 5 percent. patients. This type of disease does not bring about periods of improvement, disability progresses from the very beginning of the disease, relapses appear.

Multiple sclerosis – diagnosis

Advances in medicine allow for earlier detection of multiple sclerosis than in the past. The most useful diagnostic test is magnetic resonance imaging – it allows visualization of demyelinating changes.

In this case, MRI of the head is most often performed, which is used not only in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, but also in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, brain cancer and meningitis.

Computed tomography helps diagnose and monitor the progress of the disease. Other tests include the study of immunoglobulins in the cerebrospinal fluid and visual, auditory and somatosensory evoked potentials (they may indicate damage to the nervous system).

Multiple Sclerosis – Treatment

Multiple sclerosis is treated by preventing and treating the symptoms. During the so-called In the relapse of the disease, steroid drugs are used to reduce the severity of the inflammatory reaction in the demyelinating focus and accelerate the relief of symptoms. By using appropriate medications, the long-term course of the disease can be limited. If we are dealing with a rapidly progressive disease, the patient is given it immunosuppressants.

Symptomatic pharmacological treatment and rehabilitation treatments help in the case of increased muscle tension and sphincter disorders.

The benefits that a healthy lifestyle can have on patients should not be ignored. Caring for the right weight, avoiding body and spirit fatigue as well as inflammation can protect patients against another relapse.

For disease-modifying treatment, i.a. interferons; and glatiramer acetate.

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