Multiple Sclerosis Types & Symptoms

Multiple sclerosis is believed to be an autoimmune disorder, meaning that the body attacks its own tissues. MS is a chronic, irreversible disease that attacks the central nervous system. The central nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Symptoms can include numbness in the limbs, paralysis and vision loss. There are four identifiable courses of multiple sclerosis, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, .

Relapsing-Remitting MS

• About 85 percent of people with MS are originally diagnosed with this type of the disorder. A patient's neurological function worsens during relapsing attacks. Between flare-ups, a person's MS seems to go into remission, at which time the disease does not progress. During this stage patients experience a variety of neurological symptoms, including impairment of vision and muscle weakness. Between exacerbations, an individual can actually go into remission and fully or partially recover. Periods of remission can last anywhere from a day, some weeks or even months.

Primary-Progressive MS

• People with this type of MS experience a progressive worsening of symptoms with no visible periods of remission. Each person has failing health at a different rate of progression. Only about 10 percent of those diagnosed with MS are primary-progressive. In this course, a patient's health will begin to progressively decline. More symptoms will appear, like loss of sensation in limbs, moderate to severe tremors, and problems coordinating speech. There will be no periods of remission for people in this stage of MS.

Secondary-Progressive MS

• Fewer individuals are actually developing this form of MS. It is characterized by first being symptomatic of relapsing-remitting MS, then moving on to this worsening, progressive course. Patients will still have periods of wellness, but unlike relapse-remitting, they will not recover, and their disease will become progressively more damaging. An estimated 25 percent of patients in this stage will need to use a wheelchair, according to All About Multiple Sclerosis, a website by people with MS. Before the newest generation of MS medications became available, 50 percent of individuals with relapse-remitting MS developed to this level of MS within 10 years.

Progressive-Relapsing MS

• This type of MS is the most rare, affecting only 5 percent of those diagnosed. These individuals worsen steadily from the start of their disease. They have very apparent attacks and declining neurological function. They do not recover following flare-ups. The most disabling symptoms of the disease will manifest in this course and will follow a steady trajectory of worsening symptoms. Near paralysis, wasted muscles, and bladder and bowel dysfunction are not uncommon symptoms for patients.

Diagnosis

• Multiple sclerosis looks different in each person. Sometimes a physician can not quickly identify which course of MS a person has. More women are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis than men. It can occur at any age but is most likely strike in people age 20 to 40, according to the Mayo Clinic.