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Different conditions have the tendency of affecting people in different ways. Autoimmune disorders are especially problematic because they harm your own healthy cells. Multiple sclerosis is a neurological disease that could actually impact you in multiple ways. It affects your nerves and comes under autoimmune disorder. In this disorder the defenses of body go down and it affects malfunctioning of certain system in nerves. Multiple sclerosis cases are increasing which is a serious cause of concern for your health. This disease affects your body’s myelin which adds a protective substance that covers your nerves. Today we are going to tell you about 8 facts about multiple sclerosis which you should know about.
8 Things to Know About Multiple Sclerosis
We spoke to Dr. Arun Mehra, Consultant Neurologist, BNK Hospital to know about some vital things about multiple sclerosis.
1. MS is a Chronic Condition
Once you get multiple sclerosis, you feel that there is a long-lasting affect at it usually stays with you for rest of your lives. There are a few ways to reduce the symptoms of multiple sclerosis but no way to cure it. However, you should know that majority of people who have MS disease does not get fatalities. The life expectancy of people suffering from multiple sclerosis is almost equal to other people.
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2. It happens in Younger Adults, especially women
Children and older adults could actually be less affected because of some genetic reasons. Cases of people between the age of 20-50 years are most affected according to National Multiple Sclerosis Society. People diagnosed over the age of 50 have late-onset multiple sclerosis. Older adults often have difficulty in diagnosis because of symptoms are not very evident. Women are 2 or 3 times more vulnerable to have MS.
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3. Multiple Sclerosis is Difficult to Diagnose
This is a challenging disorder that could actually be difficult to diagnose. MS shares its symptoms with a number of other conditions that could make it hard to determine the condition. You can go through different tests to get multiple sclerosis diagnosed. Here is the list of tests you can go through-
- Blood tests
- Neurological exams
- Magnetic resonance imaging
- Visual evoked potential test
- Spinal fluid analysis
- Optical coherence tomography
4. Symptoms of MS can vary
List of symptoms that could reveal multiple sclerosis is very long. This includes very general symptoms till severe problems affecting your life. Some common symptoms of Multiple sclerosis include-
- Mobility issues
- Slurred speech
- Vision problems
- Tingling effect
- Numbness
- Slurred speech
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Each person can have difference in symptoms and experience different reactions. These might go and come at different intervals and thus could cause bladder control issues. There might even be some unpredictable symptoms that affect your immune system and nerves at the same time.
5. MS involves relapse and remission
Most of the people who seek treatment of multiple sclerosis go through problems such as relapses and remissions. Remission is a period in which you might experience betterment in the symptoms you have in multiple sclerosis. However, it does not mean that you will no longer have multiple sclerosis disease. Medications related to multiple sclerosis could actually reduce the chances of developing symptoms that are associated with MS.
6. Cognitive Multiple Sclerosis
The damage this autoimmune disease has on the body is vast. It can affect your nerves and ability of critical thinking as well. You would need to have mental skills in order to tackle it. With multiple sclerosis, you should be careful about memory related issues and selection of right words for expression. Cognitive effects in multiple sclerosis can include-
- Inability to concentrate or pay attention
- Impaired problem-solving abilities
- Trouble with spatial relations
Cognitive problems in this disease could be very depression and frustrating. You must consult your doctor if you have anu such problems.
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7. MS is a silent Disease
This is an invisible illness that could cause complications without you having any prior idea. Multiple sclerosis looks no different from any other autoimmune disorder. It can start giving you blurred vision, sensory problems and chronic pain. You might need some special care or tools so that you do not have any temporary or permanent impairment because of multiple sclerosis.
8. Stay Cool to Reduce Symptoms
Doctors always recommend people having multiple sclerosis to stay in a cool environment. This is because a large number of people can have heat intolerance that could cause elevation of symptoms. Those suffering from multiple sclerosis see a spike in symptoms under following conditions-
- Overheating from exercise
- Fever or illness
- Hot weather or exposure to sun
- Hot baths and showers
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