Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Symptoms

• Bladder problems /UTIs (80%) - most commonly frequency increase, incontinence and UTIs; also inability to begin urination, leaking, retention, and sensation of full bladder;
• Cognitive impairments (40-60%).   Mild to severe; most commonly deficits in recent memory, attention, processing speed, emotional instability, visual-spatial abilities, and executive function. Dementia is NOT common;
• Emotional symptoms (common).   Most commonly clinical depression at rates exceeding general population and even other groups diagnosed with chronic illnesses. ~15% of MS patients commit suicide!
• Fatigue (common).   Often disabling;
• Restrictions in mobility (common).    Most MS patients have difficulty in walking/mobility eventually (33% within 5 years of diagnosis) requiring use of an aid or wheelchair.
• Vision Problem (common).   Optic neuritis episodes (up to 50%), experiencing rapid onset of pain in one eye followed by blurred vision (usually goes away but may leave decreased color vision or decreased ability to focus). Many persons with MS also experience episodes of double vision and involuntary eye movement making focusing difficult.
• Chronic Pain (common).   Usually after a lesion to the ascending or descending tracts that control the transmission of painful stimulus. The disease commonly causes acute temporary pain, but narcotic pain control methods are usually effective;
• Lhermitte's sign (25-40%).    An electrical sensation that runs down the back and into the limbs. The sign suggests a lesion of the dorsal columns of the cervical cord.
• Dysesthesias.   Abnormal sensations produced by ordinary activities, often described as painful feelings such as burning, itching, electricity, or pins and needle; caused by lesions of the sensory pathways;
• Sexual dysfunction (85% in men).   Erectile dysfunction being the most documented sexual symptom;
• Spasticity (common).    Characterized by increased stiffness in limb movement, development of certain postures, weakness of voluntary muscle power, and involuntary spasms;
• Transverse myelitis.    Rapid onset of numbness, weakness, and loss of muscle function in the lower half of the body as a result of attack on spinal cord; symptoms vary according to extent of damage, with only~20% of individuals having a prognosis for complete recovery, the rest have permanent symptoms from transverse myelitis;
• Tremors (frequent and common).   Typically in the hands, arms, and legs; can be severe and disabling;