Multiple sclerosis is a disease which progresses over time, when nerve cells within the spine or brain are exposed, making it difficult for the brain to properly compute responses in the nervous system. The illness is immune mediated because the immune system which normally acts to defend the body from intruding bacteria and viruses, does not function properly, and instead tries to kill healthy and necessary parts of the human body. As this happens, the sensitive covering of nerve cells in the brain is ruined and problems resulting from the exposure can be both physical and mental. The body continuously tries to repair these damaged coatings, but repeated abuse creates a growth of plaque which renders certain brain cells useless.
While the first case of the disease was documented in the mid to late 1800s, it is still unknown what causes the body to malfunction in such a way. All that is known for certain is that inflammation is a key component to the negative physical damage which takes place inside the body.
Symptoms of the illness vary and can be different from patient to patient, but there are certain signs that you can look for in the early stages of the disorder.
Monitor Your Senses:
The early symptoms of multiple sclerosis might come and go at first, or manifest in such a way that they seem to be part of some other common illness. These early symptoms often appear somewhere between the ages of twenty and forty, but they will not go away entirely. The disease affects your senses, due to its connection to the nervous system. You may find your vision blurry, or have trouble focusing both visually or mentally on a single subject. Some individuals complain of dizziness, an inability to balance properly, and clumsiness. Tingling, numbness, and weakness of the limbs are also associated with the early stages of multiple sclerosis.
Getting A Diagnosis With Early Symptoms:
Even with every single one of the early symptoms of multiple sclerosis it can be difficult for the most experienced medical professional to diagnose that you have the disorder. This is because many of these symptoms appear in a multitude of other medical disorders. Nevertheless, it is important that you explain these symptoms to your doctor as soon as possible so that he or she can refer you to a neurologist. A neurologist will be able to run more in depth tests and confirm whether or not the symptoms you have are actually caused by the said disease.
Many who are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis panic that they have incurred a life sentence. While there is no cure for the disorder, there are many treatment options which have proven effective to reduce symptoms. These treatments can work to prevent future attacks, but are not guaranteed to be completely effective in all patients, and many with the disorder complain of severe side effects from these medications and injections.
Tests For Multiple Sclerosis:
When early symptoms of multiple sclerosis present themselves neurologists can begin testing with the use of MRI or magnetic resonance imaging. This tool allows them to capture images of the brain which can provide a glimpse at possible lesions which could be causing memory loss, vision distortion, dizziness, and other symptoms mentioned above.