How to detect multiple sclerosis in a timely manner

1 Signs of the disease

The official definition of this disease of the central nervous system as a chronic demyelinating process says almost nothing to the average person without special education. But these words reflect its full essence: a long-lasting disease caused by the destruction of the protective envelope of nerve fibers. As a result, the transmission of nerve impulses is disrupted, which can be expressed in a variety of ailments associated with impaired vision, movement, and intelligence. With a significant nerve damage, multiple sclerosis( MS) can lead to disability.

Very often when a patient visits a doctor, it turns out that some health problems have been observed for a long time, but did not cause any special inconvenience to the person. In some cases, the symptoms of nerve conduction disorders can also be taken for infection of the genitourinary system, and for joint diseases or others that are not in any way related to the central nervous system, problems.

In half of all cases when a specialist diagnoses a patient with MS, it turns out that his first signs were seen 3-5 years ago.

Without proper treatment, the destruction of the neural membranes continued to progress until it caused serious health problems.

2 Symptoms of the onset of

state An analogy with wiring in which the insulation is broken is often used to explain the mechanics of the processes occurring in the patient's CNS.Because of this, leakage current and short circuits can occur. In the brain affected by multiple sclerosis, the violation of the "insulating layer" of myelin causes the destruction of the nerve itself, which leads to a weakening of the pulse or its complete cessation. Physicians know up to 50 different effects of this process, but mostly they come down to the following symptoms:

1. Chronic fatigue, which is not caused by obvious physical or mental effort. Her attacks can last up to 1.5 months, without disappearing at full rest and sleep. The feeling of fatigue can suddenly appear at any time, but it is noted that with increased heat and humidity this occurs more often. Neurologists suggest that fatigue with MS causes brain adaptation processes to violations.
2. Depression caused by violation of nerve conduction. They are expressed in the loss of interest in ordinary activities, tearfulness or excitement, a sense of guilt. As a rule, unusual emotional manifestations can be a reaction to simple everyday situations.
3. A common symptom of the disease is numbness in parts of the face, hands or feet, of the body. Usually this is what prompts a person to see a doctor, but with insignificant expression can go unnoticed. Appearing with fatigue or physical exertion, in the heat, a decrease in sensitivity may disappear after rest or in a cooler room. Often numbness is expressed in the loss of sensitivity to pain or temperature difference, which can go unnoticed at the first manifestation.
4. Unpleasant symptoms, which the patient does not tell anyone for quite some time, are dysfunctions of the intestine or bladder. Even at a doctor's appointment, these problems are preferred to remain silent if the question is not asked directly. But along with this dysfunction is the most common and prominent symptom of multiple sclerosis. They appear depending on the lesion of the corresponding nerves as incontinence of urine and feces, constipation or diarrhea, in the form of an irresistible urge to urinate or lack of urge when the bladder is full. These disorders are associated with inadequate passage of "signals" from organs to the central nervous system.
5. Vertigo in MS occurs in approximately 20% of patients and may not be directly related to nerve damage. In a number of cases, when the nerves that transmit impulses from the vestibular apparatus, the cerebellum or the brain stem are damaged, it becomes impossible to turn the head sharply: such motion causes imbalance or a fall.
6. Under spasms in medicine are understood as involuntary contractions of muscles: twitchings, movements, sometimes accompanied by pain. Spasticity implies the tension of the musculature even in a state of complete rest: on examination, the doctor can hardly bend or unbend the limb of the patient, and the person himself notes the "heaviness" of the affected arm or leg. With mild severity of these symptoms, they may remain unnoticed in normal life, but a severe form of spasticity can lead to disability.
7. Visual impairment in MS is usually expressed in a "triad of symptoms": decreased acuity, pain in eye movements, difficulty in discerning color. In addition, white spots or glowing dots and figures may appear before the eyes, narrowing the field of view, and reducing stereoscopy. Frequent and sudden loss of vision in a few hours or days.

Even if one of these symptoms is detected, and even more so when several of them are combined, there is an opportunity to suspect the onset of multiple sclerosis. A visit to the doctor will help to identify the disease at an early stage and take measures to reduce the rate of destruction of the myelin sheath - the natural "isolation" of nerve fibers. This depends on preserving the quality of life of the patient and preventing his disability at a young age.