What Is Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that affects your brain and spinal cord. It damages the myelin sheath, the tissue that surrounds and protects your nerve cells. This damage blocks or slows down messages between your brain and body, causing symptoms such as weakness, balance issues, and numbness.
While there is currently no cure for MS, treatments can help slow its progression, reduce the severity of relapses, and manage symptoms.
How Common is Multiple Sclerosis?
MS affects nearly one million Americans and about 2.5 million people worldwide. More women than men receive an MS diagnosis.
Multiple Sclerosis: Age of Onset
Multiple sclerosis can occur at any age. Most people with MS develop symptoms between the ages of 20 and 40.
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Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
MS is unpredictable and affects people differently. Some people have mild symptoms that come and go. For others, symptoms are more severe and frequent.
People with MS may experience a variety of symptoms:
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Difficulty with walking or coordination
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Dizziness
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Fatigue
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Muscle weakness
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Sensations of pain, numbness, prickling, tingling, and burning
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Thinking and memory issues
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Tight, stiff muscles
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Poor bladder control
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Vision problems, such as blurred or double vision
MS Symptoms in Women vs. Men
The symptoms of MS in men and women are similar. However, some research shows that men with MS may have more severe nerve cell loss in their brains. Loss of nerve cells can affect your movement, sight, and speech.
Women with MS may notice their symptoms increase during their period or improve during pregnancy. MS does not affect a woman’s ability to become pregnant or give birth to a healthy child.
Multiple Sclerosis Complications
Worsening symptoms in MS can lead to a variety of complications:
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Difficulty walking
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Loss of bowel or bladder control
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Memory issues
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Mood problems, such as anxiety and depression
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Severe weakness or paralysis (typically in your legs)
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Sexual problems
Early Signs of Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis symptoms do not follow a pattern that applies to everyone. Many MS symptoms are also symptoms of other, more treatable conditions.
Vision problems are among the most common early signs of MS, often caused by optic neuritis. Optic neuritis occurs when your optic nerve is irritated and inflamed. Optic neuritis causes pain when you move your eyes and temporary vision loss in one eye.
Early on, patients also experience other common MS symptoms:
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Balance issues
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Dizziness
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Fatigue
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Muscle weakness
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Numbness and tingling
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Poor bladder control
Multiple Sclerosis Pain
MS pain can come and go or become frequent and long-lasting. People with MS may experience specific sensations related to pain:
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Itching
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Numbness
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Pins and needles
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Squeezing
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Stabbing
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Tight muscles
This type of pain is caused by damage to the nerves carrying signals from the brain to the body. People with MS may experience musculoskeletal pain affecting their bones, muscles, joints, and nerves.
What Causes Multiple Sclerosis?
Researchers don’t know what causes multiple sclerosis. They have identified a variety of factors that may play a role:
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Autoimmune system problems (when your immune system attacks healthy cells by mistake)
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Environmental factors, such as your diet and vitamin D levels
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Genetic mutations
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Infection, such as a virus
Multiple Sclerosis Risk Factors
Doctors most commonly diagnose MS in white women between the ages of 20 and 40, but men and people of other ethnicities may also be affected. Researchers have identified several risk factors that contribute to developing MS:
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A diet high in salt and fat
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A family history of MS
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Autoimmune conditions, such as type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease
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Certain infections, such as Epstein-Barr
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Low vitamin D levels and low exposure to sunlight
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Obesity
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Smoking
Is Multiple Sclerosis Hereditary?
As a disease, MS is not passed down from generation to generation. However, changes in your genes play a role in determining your risk of getting MS. Scientists have identified about 200 genes that may contribute to a person’s risk of getting MS.
Why Choose U of U Health?
Many U of U Health specialists have dedicated their careers to caring for adults and children with multiple sclerosis at the Imaging and Neurosciences Center, Clinical Neurosciences Center, and Primary Children's Hospital. Our team of MS specialists stays informed about the latest treatment standards and other care guidelines. Many of our providers are involved in research and clinical trials related to MS care. They understand the challenges of an MS diagnosis and are here to help and support you every step of the way.
Make an Appointment With an MS Specialist
Call 801-805-7575 or request an appointment online to make an appointment with a U of U Health neurologist. You will need a referral from your primary care provider or another clinician who cares for you to see our neurologists. Your provider can use our online referral form or call us at 801-585-7575.
