When presented with the terms “MS signs,” “MS symptoms,” and “MS indicators,” one may wonder why there is a need for three apparently synonymous terms. Is it a conspiracy on the part of medical professionals to keep laypeople confused? Why not just use one of them?

The answer to the above questions is simple. These different terms exist and are used because they present different nuances in the description of features of MS. Let us consider “MS indicators,” for instance. Multiple sclerosis indicators can be described as those signs that indicate that somebody is likely to develop multiple sclerosis. Looking at them in hindsight, some might think of them as the earliest symptoms of the patient’s deteriorating condition. Others may think of them as factors that announce the impending development of the disease.

As described above, MS indicators are those factors that suggest (before any diagnoses are confirmed) …