What is MS?

Multiple Sclerosis is a progressive neurological disease that develops in attacks due to damage to the central nervous system by the person’s own immune system. Different symptoms occur in MS depending on which part of the central nervous system is affected. While it progresses with very mild symptoms in some people, it can progress so severely that others cannot sustain their daily lives on their own.

Early symptoms of MS

• Blurred or double vision
• Disruption of red-green color discrimination
• Pain or vision loss due to optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve)
• Difficulty walking
• Abnormal sensations and pains such as pins and needles, “pins and needles” or numbness

Other symptoms of MS

You may experience any or all of the following symptoms throughout the course of the disease, either individually or in varying degrees:

• Muscle weakness in the arms and legs
• Incoordination. Difficulty walking or standing
• Increased muscle tension that causes involuntary contractions and spasms (Spasticity)
• Fatigue
• Loss of sensation
• Speech disorder
• Tremors
• Dizziness
• Hearing loss
• Intestinal and bladder disorders
• Depression
• Changes in sexual function

50% of people with MS have a decrease in cognitive function. Mild deficits in perception can sometimes be detected with special tests. There is usually a decrease in the following functions:

• Concentration,
• Attention,
• Memory,
• Difficulty in reasoning.