Although there’s no exact pattern of symptoms in MS, don’t ignore these possible warning signs.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that is unpredictable and can be debilitating. It occurs when something triggers a person’s immune system to attack the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers within the central nervous system, called the myelin. This interrupts communication signals to and from the brain, which can result in a variety of symptoms, ranging from numbness, pain and loss of mobility to memory problems, mood changes and fatigue.
People of any age can develop MS, but onset of the disease most often occurs between ages 20 and 40. Symptoms of the disease can vary widely, so MS may look very different from one person to the next. A person’s symptoms may also change over time. Differences in symptoms depend on what area of the central nervous system is affected and how severe damage is to the nerve fibers.
Because of this, there are not necessarily early signs of the disease. Symptoms one person has may not be experienced by another. Or they may be experienced but not in the same order. Or they may occur once, never to occur again. There’s no exact pattern of symptoms but any of the following symptoms may be a warning sign that you have MS:
- Numbness, tingling or weakness in your limbs that typically occurs on one side of your body
- Lack of coordination
- Loss of balance
- Unsteady gait
- Inability to walk
- Dizziness
- Stiffness, spasms or tremors
- Loss of vision, usually in one eye
- Blurry vision
- Pain during eye movements
- Vertigo
- Bowel and bladder function issues
- Fatigue
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Date Last Reviewed: January 17, 2024
Editorial Review: Andrea Cohen, Editorial Director, Baldwin Publishing, Inc. Contact Editor
Medical Review: Perry Pitkow, MD
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