Multiple sclerosis can make your life difficult. It is unpredictable and varies in severity. Multiple sclerosis, otherwise known as (MS) is a chronic, potentially debilitating disease that affects your central nervous system, which is made up of your brain and spinal cord.

Treatment

Treatments can alter the course of the disease and relieve some symptoms. Treatment may include: eating a high-fiber diet, increasing fluid intake, daily exercise, and stool softeners. It may also include physical, speech, and occupational therapy. You should always consult your physician before you make any treatment choices. I believe that the goal in treatment for MS is managing symptoms as well as treating the disease before permanent damage magnifies symptoms.

Symptoms

Symptoms of MS may include vision problems, loss of balance, numbness, difficulty walking and paralysis as well as weakness, tremors, muscle stiffness, slurred speech and more. Symptoms may be different for each person, and not everyone experiences every symptom. Heat, such as hot baths, exposure to the sun, fever, seems to worsen or intensify symptoms of MS

Diagnosis

MS is not diagnosed by running a blood test or anything like that. There is no single test available to clearly identify Multiple Sclerosis. Diagnosis usually takes a period of time and is based on overall symptoms and tests as well as a person?s medical history.

Diagnosis of MS is usually between the ages of 20 and 40.

Relapsing-Remitting MS: About 85% of people with MS receive an initial diagnosis of relapsing-remitting MS.

Secondary-Progressive MS: About 50% of people diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS will develop secondary-progressive MS within 10 years, and the symptoms steadily worsen.

Progressive-Relapsing MS: 6% to 10% of people are diagnosed with this.

Multiple Sclerosis affects somewhere around 400,000 people in North America and nearly 1 million people worldwide, including twice as many women as men.

If multiple sclerosis impairs your ability to do things you enjoy, talk with your doctor about possible ways to get around the obstacles.