Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune condition and is the most common disabling nervous system disease among young adults. It affects your brain and spinal cord and can make everyday activities like walking and talking more difficult. At present, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, but there are effective ways to slow its progression and manage its symptoms.
Read on to learn more about the causes and symptoms of multiple sclerosis, along with treatments that may help you manage this condition.
What Is Multiple Sclerosis?
When you have multiple sclerosis, your immune system cells mistakenly attack your central nervous system, specifically a protective substance called myelin that surrounds nerve fibers. When myelin is damaged due to this process, it disrupts the signals to and from your brain. This can cause a wide range of related symptoms, such as changes in mood and memory, nerve pain, fatigue, and paralysis.
Multiple sclerosis usually begins between the ages of 20 and 40, and it is more common in women than in men. It cannot be cured, though a range of therapies may help you manage your symptoms and slow the progression of the disease.
What Causes Multiple Sclerosis?
The exact cause of autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis is unknown. However, scientists and researchers suspect a combination of genetic and environmental factors may cause multiple sclerosis.
Risk factors for multiple sclerosis include:
- Age. Multiple sclerosis can affect anyone of any age, though it usually begins between the ages of 20 and 40 years.
- Gender. Women are more likely to develop multiple sclerosis than men.
- Family history. You may be at greater risk of developing multiple sclerosis if this disease runs in your family.
- Genetics. A certain gene on chromosome 6p21 may be associated with a higher risk for multiple sclerosis.
- Certain infections. You may be at higher risk for developing multiple sclerosis if you have had certain infections, such as the Epstein-Barr virus.
- Race. White people are at higher risk for developing multiple sclerosis than people of other races.
- Vitamin D. Being deficient in vitamin D and not spending enough time in the sun may increase your risk.
- Obesity. Excess body weight can increase inflammation throughout the body, elevating the risk of multiple sclerosis.
- Smoking. Smoking may contribute to multiple sclerosis and can make the disease progress faster.
- Certain autoimmune diseases. Having another autoimmune disorder, such as thyroid disease, psoriasis, or type 1 diabetes, may increase your risk for multiple sclerosis.
What Are the Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis?
Symptoms of multiple sclerosis may vary from one person to the next depending on the location of the nerves that the disease affects. Many people with multiple sclerosis experience “attacks,” or flares, which are periods of time when existing symptoms worsen or new symptoms develop.
Common multiple sclerosis symptoms include:
- Numbness, weakness, or tingling in one or more limbs
- Problems with balance and coordination
- Unsteady gait or difficulty walking
- Electric shock-like sensations that occur when moving a certain way
- Partial or complete vision loss
- Double or blurred vision
- Vertigo and dizziness
- Fatigue
- Slurred speech
- Memory problems
- Changes in mood, including depression
- Bowel and bladder incontinence
- Problems with sexual function
How Is Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosed?
No tests can specifically diagnose multiple sclerosis. If your healthcare provider thinks you might have this condition, you may undergo several diagnostic tests that can rule out other conditions with similar symptoms.
Tests your doctor may use to diagnose multiple sclerosis include:
- Blood tests, which can help rule out other diseases that have symptoms like multiple sclerosis
- Spinal tap or lumbar puncture, which involves removing a sample of fluid from your spinal cord that may show abnormalities associated with multiple sclerosis, or that can rule out other conditions
- MRI, which can reveal whether multiple sclerosis has created lesions in your brain or spinal cord
- Evoked potential tests, which record the electrical signals produced by your nervous system in response to a type of stimuli
What Treatments Exist for Multiple Sclerosis?
Given how multiple sclerosis cannot be cured, treatment for this disease usually focuses on relieving attacks and flares, and on slowing its progression. Attacks are usually treated using corticosteroids or plasma exchange. Corticosteroids may help reduce symptoms of nerve inflammation, while plasma exchange may help control attacks if symptoms don’t respond to corticosteroids.
A wide variety of medications is available to help slow the progression of multiple sclerosis and prevent it from becoming more severe. Some of these medications include:
- Beta interferon drugs, which help regulate the activity of immune cells involved in multiple sclerosis.
- Glatiramer acetate, which may prevent your immune system from attacking myelin.
- Monoclonal antibodies, which can target specific cells that damage the nervous system.
- Teriflunomide, dimethyl fumarate, fingolimod, and/or diroximel fumarate — all of which may reduce the rate of multiple sclerosis relapses.
Some people with multiple sclerosis respond better to certain medications than others, which means the drugs that work for you may not work as well for others, and vice versa. In some instances, it may take several weeks or months to identify one or more medications that work best for you. If you are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, your doctor will work closely with you to find effective treatments.
Resource Links
- “Multiple Sclerosis” via National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- “Multiple Sclerosis” via MedlinePlus
- “What is MS?” via National Multiple Sclerosis Society