Multiple Sclerosis, commonly referred to as MS, is a long-lasting disease that affects the brain, optic nerves in the eyes, and the spinal cord. The disease affects your vision, muscle control, body balance, and other significant body functions. The effects of the disease are different from people with the disease. Some people portray mild symptoms requiring fewer treatments, while others pose more significant challenges that need regular check-ups. The condition can show one sign that might never return, while to others, the symptoms keep on recurring within months or weeks.

Treatments and medications for MS 

There is no cure for multiple sclerosis. MS treatments typically aim to speed the recovery from attacks, manage symptoms, and slow the progression of the disease. There are several disease modifying therapies (DMTs) for relapsing-remitting MS and medications such as Ocervus, Mayzent, Aubagio, Ponvory, and Kesimpta that can help reduce symptoms and flareups.

Most people with the disease are diagnosed between 20 and 30, with more women than men. To date, there is no apparent cause of the disease. However, scientists believe that there are multiple combinations of genetic and environmental factors contributing to the disease’s risk. Some of the early signs and symptoms of MS include:

1. Poor vision
This condition happens when the optic nerve connecting the eyes to the brain gets inflamed, a condition referred to as Optic Neuritis. The situation is the most common to people with MS, with more than half of the people at one stage of their lives. In most cases, vision problems affect one eye, which tends to worsen before getting better after some time. Symptoms of optic neuritis include:

• Blindness in one eye for a short while
• Pain associated with eye movement
• Blurred vision
• Graying vision or loss of color

Seek medical attention for a check-up when you portray any symptom associated with low vision.

2. Tingling and numbness
Numbness is a loss or altered sensation to your body organs. People with MS might experience less feeling when touching something with their hands or a sense in one leg can differ from the other. Numbness of the face, body, arms, and legs is a common sign of MS. The condition can be mild or severe, to an extent preventing you from using other body parts. Facial numbness can be quite dangerous. People with severe conditions should take precautions when around fires, water, hot water, and other burn sources as you can suffer significant burns without realization.

3. Pains and spasms
According to research from the National MS Society, more than 55% of people with Multiple Sclerosis have pain at some point in their lives, while more than 48% have long-lasting pain. The pain can be experienced in different parts of the body. Pain being a common problem, seek medical assistance to determine whether the pain experienced is related to MS.

4. Weakness and fatigue
From research, more than 80% of people with Multiple Sclerosis conditions feel very tired. At times you might not have the energy to perform simple tasks, including cooking dinner. You tend to feel tired even after a long night’s sleep and every day.

5. Dizziness and balance problems
People with MS condition feel lightheaded, dizzy, and in cases, they feel like their environments are spinning, a situation referred to as vertigo. The disease tends to decrease the mobility of people with MS conditions.

6. Bladder and bowel dysfunction
People with MS frequently experience bladder problems, including:

• Having to urinate more often and especially at night
• Urgent needs to empty the bladder, which can lead to unintentionally passing urine
• Difficulty emptying the bowel completely
• Recurrent urinary tract infections

7. Cognitive problems
People with multiple sclerosis experience multiple mental issues that are affecting the brain. The most common cognitive related signs and symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis MS include:

• Difficulties learning and remembering information
• Losing attention and concentration
• Verbal fluency challenges
• Loss of memory
• Information processing difficulty

As mentioned, there is no single cure for MS. However, several treatments can improve the condition and body functioning. Whenever you experience MS signs and symptoms, consult your doctor to get checked before the disease causes significant effects to your body. The doctor can also prescribe drugs that can slow the disease’s course, ease the symptoms, and reduce the stress that comes with the condition.