While both men and women can develop multiple sclerosis, the symptoms and course of MS may differ between the sexes. This variation can be due to biological and social factors.
Some people with MS experience unusual sensations, like a squeezing feeling around the torso (MS hug). These can also include painful limb spasms and a tremor — a shaking of the body.
Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
A new numbness or tingling sensation, sometimes called “pins and needles,” in your arms or legs is one of the most common MS symptoms. It is caused by damage to the protective sheath that surrounds nerve fibers in your brain and spine. When you have MS, your immune system attacks this sheath, causing scars or lesions. These scars prevent signals from traveling easily between your brain and the rest of your body. These sensory changes may be mild or severe, but any new symptom should always be reported to your doctor immediately. If you experience sudden, one-sided numbness or trouble swallowing or speaking, call 911. This could be a sign of a stroke and requires immediate medical attention.
Other symptoms of MS include:
Fatigue or exhaustion, often accompanied by weakness and/or spasms. This is one of the most common early signs of MS, but it’s important to note that fatigue doesn’t necessarily mean you have MS. It can also be a sign of depression or other health problems.
Vision problems, which are common in people with MS, are a result of damage to the optic nerves. They can cause blurry vision, double vision, and/or blindness.
Pain, which is often worse in females than males with MS. This is because the disease causes damage to myelin, which insulates nerve fibers. This damage disrupts how the brain feels and interprets sensations.
Cognitive symptoms are also common in people with MS. These are usually mild, but can become disabling in some people. They can affect different parts of cognition, such as memory or attention. They are caused by damage to myelin, which affects the way your brain processes information and sends it to other parts of the body.
Muscle weakness or spasms
Many people with MS experience muscle weakness or spasms, mainly in the legs. This can be a serious problem, especially if it affects the ability to walk and stand upright. It can also lead to problems with balance and co-ordination, because of damage to nerves that direct movement in the body. This is called incoordination and may be one of the earliest symptoms to become apparent. Symptoms of this type include feeling off-balance, walking with a ‘hunch’, or having difficulty putting your feet on the floor when you are standing up. It can also make it harder to use your arms or hands. It may affect speech and swallowing, and can cause pain in the joints and low back.
Muscle stiffness and spasms are common early symptoms of MS, but they vary from person to person. It is often called spasticity and causes a feeling of tightness or stiffness in the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. It can be painful and, in extreme cases, it can cause a form of spasm that makes your leg muscles kick out or jerk uncontrollably. It can also cause a trembling sensation that may cause your drink to spill or your handwriting to be affected. It can cause a problem with your bladder and bowels, resulting in problems with urination or constipation.
People with MS sometimes have changes in their mood, which can be short-term or long-lasting. Depression and anxiety are the most common mood problems. Some people with MS can have periods of mania, where they suddenly burst into tears or shout angrily for no obvious reason. Mood problems are very common in people with chronic conditions such as MS and may be a result of the stress of living with a chronic illness. It’s also important to seek help if you’re suffering from mood swings.
Fatigue or exhaustion
Fatigue is one of the most common invisible symptoms of MS and can be debilitating. This overwhelming feeling of tiredness makes it hard to carry out everyday tasks, especially in hot weather, after exercise or when you’re sick. It can also affect your thoughts, reactions and emotions. Fatigue is different for everyone who has MS and it can get worse over time.
Scientists aren’t sure why fatigue happens, but they think it has something to do with the lesions in your brain getting in the way of normal brain function. It can also make it difficult to concentrate and focus. For some people, the fatigue is so intense that they can’t think straight or are constantly feeling like they are falling behind.
Some people with MS experience a type of fatigue that’s separate from the rest of their symptoms, called primary fatigue. It is thought to be caused by the disease affecting the brain and spinal cord, although other factors may play a role, such as the work of your immune system, fatigue from medications or the effects of spasticity on sleep.
There are many things you can do to try and reduce your fatigue. A healthy diet, regular exercise and a good night’s sleep can all help. It is also important to avoid any triggers that can increase your fatigue, such as stress, heat sensitivity, poor diet, vitamin deficiencies or depression. Talking to your doctor or psychologist and finding a support group can be helpful. They can teach you coping techniques and help you develop a plan to manage your fatigue. They can also check that your MS is under control and make changes to your treatment if needed.
Vision problems
A number of visual symptoms are linked to MS, and they can often be some of the first signs of the disease. These include a dull or ‘washed out’ color vision, blurred or doubled images and the involuntary rhythmic movement of one eye called nystagmus. These symptoms are the result of MS affecting parts of the brain that control how the eyes move. A person with MS may also experience a sudden loss of vision, usually in just one eye, which is known as optic neuritis.
These problems are caused by damage to the axons that connect the eye and the brain. They are protected by myelin, which is destroyed in people with multiple sclerosis. A person’s brain also has a covering of gray matter that is involved in vision, and this tissue can also be affected by MS.
Fatigue is common in MS and can interfere with daily activities such as work and home life. It can cause a feeling of being overwhelmed by responsibilities, and it is important to seek medical help for this symptom if it continues.
A person with MS may also have problems with balance and dizziness. This is the result of an attack on areas of the brain that controls motor function and coordination, such as the cerebellum. A person with MS can also develop a rhythmic bouncing of the eyes that causes this symptom, which is known as nystagmus. These problems are sometimes improved with clonazepan, a drug that is used to treat epilepsy.
Hearing problems
The nerve pathways in the inner ear can become damaged, causing hearing loss or tinnitus. The condition may also cause a person to be more sensitive to noise (hyperacusis). Speech problems such as long pauses and slurred or nasal speech are common in people with MS, as well as swallowing difficulties.
People with MS might also have cognitive problems such as slowed thinking or difficulty remembering things. Some people with the disease might experience seizures. A small number of people with MS have trouble breathing because the muscles in their chest are weak, which can lead to a coughing attack or shortness of breath.
In some cases, changes to a person’s sense of smell or taste can occur. People with MS who are taking medications that affect the ears, such as steroids, might have more problems with their hearing if they’re exposed to heat. If a person experiences new or unusual changes in their hearing, they should tell their neurologist as soon as possible.
In some people with MS, sudden sensorineural hearing loss can be a sign of a relapse. That’s because MS attacks the axons in the central nervous system that are protected by myelin. These axons connect the brain to the eyes, spinal cord, and optic nerves. They are also involved in balancing the body, so when MS attacks them, you might experience problems with balance and vision at the same time. In these cases, your neurologist might prescribe treatment like steroids to help address the relapse more quickly. Then your symptoms might improve or return to normal again. For example, you might notice that your hearing changes when it’s hot, but it will go back to normal once you cool down.
