T-cells in people with Multiple Sclerosis cause more than 50 symptoms. These cells in MS cause the immune system to attack nerve cells, which in turn reduces mobility, cognitive function, vision, speech, and a number of other bodily functions. The body is supposed to fight infection by sending T-cells, white blood cells, to attack the foreign bodies causing the illness, not wage war on the body itself. As the nerve cells are attacked, their myelin sheath is stripped off, thus reducing the efficiency of the electrical impulses being sent between the brain and body. When the brain and body cannot communicate effectively, signals tend to get lost.
Areas where the myelin sheath has been damaged show up as lesions, or scars. The locations of these scars depict the type of symptoms a person with MS will experience. For instance, scars on the spinal cord will cause problems with muscle movement and coordination, while lesions on the brain tend to reduce balance, speech, vision, and memory.
Symptoms can range from mild to severe; depending on the person and type of Multiple Sclerosis present. Additional symptoms can include; muscle spasms, fatigue, tingling, stinging, itching, burning, attention deficit, lack of concentration, impaired judgment, limb weakness, depression, paranoia, loss of vision in one eye, distortions in colors viewed, or eye pain.
MS patients often ask, “Does MS cause pain?” to which the answer would be affirmative. However, most pain can be dealt with through medication, whether the pain is in the eyes, nerves, or muscles.
Can Multiple Sclerosis Cause Death?
People who have MS still have the ability to live to old age, so there’s no reason to think you will die soon. In fact, most MS patients live to be very close to what they would have reached if they didn’t have MS. The average number of years taken off of the life of a person with MS is 7; give or take a couple of years. There are rare cases where MS is the direct cause of death, but generally there are other health issues at hand at the time of death in a person with Multiple Sclerosis.
Another question people pose upon being diagnosed with MS is, “Does MS cause headaches?” MS patients who are diagnosed with Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) tend to have migraines. More than half of the people diagnosed with MS have headaches of some kind; migraine, cluster, or tension. Lesions associated with Multiple Sclerosis cause most of the headaches and others can be attributed to stress or overexertion. Over the counter medication tends to work for most headaches that MS cause, but a doctor can prescribe something stronger if these aren’t working well.
Related articles: meaning of MS | Multiple Sclerosis article | Multiple Sclerosis cooling | ICD 9 code for Multiple Sclerosis | how to detect MS |
