Signs & Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks and destroys the protective covering on the nerves. The signs and symptoms of multiple sclerosis depend on the extent of the nerve damage and which nerves are damaged. Some people lose their ability to talk and walk, and others may experience only a few symptoms that come and go. The signs and symptoms of multiple sclerosis vary greatly, and there are many of them.

Visual Signs and Symptoms

Visual changes are often the first symptoms that a person experiences. These visual changes include alterations in color, blurry vision, double vision, and flashing lights. Moving the eyes can also become uncomfortable or painful. These vision changes are often due to a condition called optic neuritis. Optic neuritis is an inflammation of the optic nerve and can lead to permanent visual defects.

Pain, Weakness, Numbness and Limited Mobility

Those with multiple sclerosis often experience pain, weakness, numbness, and limited mobility. Pain affects over half of all multiple sclerosis patients. In most patients, the pain is chronic and quite severe. Muscle spasticity, a severe tightness of the muscles, can also lead to pain. Pain is most often experienced in the back, neck, legs, ribs, face, and hands. This pain is often described as stabbing, burning, and sharp. The weakness associated with multiple sclerosis is often severe and tends to get worse as time goes on. This weakness can make it difficult for patients to do everyday things like walking, lifting small objects, opening bottles, and standing up. The numbness associated with multiple sclerosis tends to come and go. It is most often experienced in the face, arms, hands/fingers, legs, and feet/toes. The loss of mobility is mostly due to the pain, weakness, and numbness. Since these three symptoms can get quite severe, it leads to patients' decreasing their levels of mobility. Over time this can lead to muscle atrophy and paralysis.

Cognitive Signs and Symptoms

Those suffering from multiple sclerosis will often experience cognitive signs and symptoms. These include personality changes, memory loss, and depression. Though rare, some patients experience multiple sclerosis-related euphoria as well.

Fatigue

Almost all multiple sclerosis patients experience some degree of fatigue. Many patients' fatigue is so severe that they need to take several short naps throughout the day to function properly. It is unclear whether or not the degree of fatigue is related to other symptoms, but many patients do experience an increase in fatigue when their symptoms worsen.

Other Signs and Symptoms

There are other later signs and symptoms of multiple sclerosis, but not all patients experience them. They tend to come on after a person has had the disease for some time. These signs and symptoms include sexual dysfunction, tremors, constipation, paralysis, incontinence, vertigo, loss of bladder and bowel control, and difficulty swallowing or speaking.