You may have to adapt your daily life if you’re diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), but with the right care and support many people can lead long, active and healthy lives.
How long do people normally live with MS?
The study found that people with MS lived to be 75.9 years old, on average, compared to 83.4 years old for those without. That 7.5-year difference is similar to what other researchers have found recently. MS and its complications are the cause of death for about half the people diagnosed with the disease.
What to expect when living with MS?
The most common symptoms of MS include fatigue, numbness and tingling, blurred vision, double vision, weakness, poor coordination, imbalance, pain, depression and problems with memory and concentration. Less commonly MS may cause tremor, paralysis and blindness.
How long does it take for MS to disable you?
This generally happens within 10 to 25 years of the first diagnosis. In SPMS, people may still experience relapses. These are then followed by partial recoveries or periods of remission, but the disease doesn’t disappear between cycles. Instead, it steadily worsens.
Can MS be mild forever?
Contents. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance. It’s a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause serious disability, although it can occasionally be mild.
Can you drink alcohol with MS?
Alcohol’s Effect on MS Symptoms Even one drink can make issues like unsteadiness worse. “If you have a lot of trouble with balance, thinking, or memory symptoms from MS, it may be better to avoid alcohol altogether,” says Graves. Alcohol can also lead to sleep problems and worsen bladder symptoms.
Can you drive if you have MS?
One of the first questions many people have when they’re diagnosed with MS is: “Will I still be able to drive?” The good news is that most people with MS continue to drive as normal.
Is there hope for MS patients?
There is no cure for MS, but there are treatments that can reduce the number and severity of relapses and delay the long-term disability progression of the disease.
How does it feel to have MS?
Those symptoms include loss of vision in an eye, loss of power in an arm or leg or a rising sense of numbness in the legs. Other common symptoms associated with MS include spasms, fatigue, depression, incontinence issues, sexual dysfunction, and walking difficulties.
How hard is it to live with multiple sclerosis?
Most people with MS can expect to live as long as people without MS, but the condition can affect their daily life. For some people, the changes will be minor. For others, they can mean a loss of mobility and other functions.
Do all MS patients end up in a wheelchair?
MS is different for everybody and not every person diagnosed with MS will end up in a wheelchair. 80% of people with MS don’t consider themselves as having severe symptoms or disabilities.
Are they working on a cure for MS?
Summary. As of yet, there is no cure for MS. However, experts have made significant progress in learning about the disease and developing targeted, more effective disease-modifying therapies. Current research focuses on reducing potential risk factors, stopping disease activity, and promoting myelin repair.
Can MS go into remission forever?
A remission can last for weeks, months, or, in some cases, years. But remission doesn’t mean you no longer have MS. MS medications can help reduce the chances of developing new symptoms, but you still have MS. Symptoms will likely return at some point.
What is the most common cause of death in MS patients?
Respiratory infection is a common cause of death; it contributed to 12.7% of all deaths, but this contribution increased to 22.5% for deaths attributed to MS. Increased levels of frailty and a diagnosis of chronic disease (such as MS) are associated with poorer outcomes in respiratory infection.
How long does MS take to progress?
In many patients, over a span of 5 to 15 years, the attacks begin more indolently, persist more chronically and remit less completely, gradually transforming into a pattern of steady deterioration rather than episodic flares. This pattern is referred to as secondary progressive MS.
Can you stop MS from progressing?
Protect nerves from damage These include clearing up debris left over from myelin attacks, making sure nerves have the energy they need, and improving transport of important molecules in the nerves. By finding treatments that prevent nerve loss, we could slow or stop the progression of MS.
Does MRI show early MS?
MRI scans are an important way to help health care providers figure out if a person has MS or not, but MRI scans cannot diagnose MS by themselves. While it is true that almost all people with MS will have lesions on MRI, not all people with MRI lesions have MS.
What can worsen multiple sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) triggers that worsen symptoms or cause a relapse can include stress, heart disease and smoking. While some are easier to avoid than others, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and overall health and wellness can have outsized benefits for MS patients.
Should I tell my employer I have MS?
You are not required to say that you have MS. However, if the information you provide is not sufficient to determine that you have a qualified disability under the ADA, your employer has the right to ask for more detailed information — which may lead to disclosure of your diagnosis.
Is it OK to drink coffee with MS?
Background: Coffee and caffeine are considered to have beneficial effects in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that can lead to disability and chronic fatigue.
Is MS classed as brain damage?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system that causes damage to your brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. It’s characterized by lesions, or areas of tissue damage that occur when your immune system behaves abnormally and attacks these areas.
Will you need a wheelchair with MS?
In fact, the majority of people with MS will not become severely disabled. Many people with MS choose to use wheelchairs or scooters from time to time or to do certain things, perhaps because of symptoms like fatigue or weakness, or to conserve energy. People often find this gives them more freedom rather than less.
