Causes and typical symptoms of multiple sclerosis in women at the initial stage

1 Signs of the disease

Sclerosis of the disseminated type manifests itself in the form of focal lesions of the brain and spinal cord tissues. Most often it is diagnosed in young women. Symptoms of the disease depend on the location and extent of damage. For a long time the disease passes asymptomatically, as healthy parts of the brain compensate for the loss of functions of the affected areas. And only when the number of destroyed nerve fibers approaches 40-50%, signs of an initial stage appear.

Manifestations of the disease are conventionally divided into such:

• typical;
• less typical;
• atypical.

The most typical manifestations of the initial stage of pathology in women are:

1. Lesion of the eye nerve: pain in the eye, dryness of the cornea, blurry images, twitching of the eyeballs, uncontrolled eye movements.
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2. The defeat of the vestibular apparatus: dizziness, staggering, difficulties with holding the vertical position of the body and balance.
3. Violation of peripheral sensitivity: numbness of fingers and toes, burning sensation, spastic muscle tension.
4. A pathology of warmth, when, regardless of the surrounding temperature, the patient feels cold or fever.
5. Violation of the functions of the reproductive and endocrine systems( irregular monthly or total absence).
6. Tremor of the hands.
7. Sleep disturbances.
8. Disturbance of bowel function( constipation, impairment of peristalsis).The pathology of urinary system functions( urinary incontinence).
9. Sexual disorders( inability to reach orgasm).
10. Frequent mood swings, depression.

Less common, but also related to typical symptoms are:

• resistant neurological facial pains;
• painful muscle spasms;
• twitching and spasm of facial muscles;
• impoverishment of mimicry;
• violation of horizontal eye movement.

Less common, but often manifested symptoms of dysfunction are:

• decreased mental capacity and memory;
• fast fatigue;
• pain.

Also rare are syndromes:

• convulsive seizures;
• twilight states;
• impaired function of sweat glands;
• cardiovascular system dysfunction;
• the omission of the century;
• sinking of the eyeball;
• pupil narrowing;
• pain in the legs in a static position.

Atypical symptoms are:

• narrowing of the visual field;
• muscle weakness;
• uncontrolled contractions of one or a group of muscles.

Symptoms of sclerosis are fickle, occur sporadically and can alternate. Sometimes a woman can feel good and do not see the need to visit a doctor. The symptomatology of the disease is similar to the symptomatic complex of certain pathologies of the nervous system, so diagnosis is necessary to establish an accurate diagnosis.

2 Visual function disorders

The pathology of the optic nerve functioning, which is a symptom of the disease, is explained by the destruction of the myelin sheath, which is identical in its structure to the nerve envelope of the central nervous system. Therefore, the pathological process is observed not only in the central nervous system, but also in the optic nerve. Focal process begins with impaired vision, loss of color perception, narrowing of the field of vision and can progress to complete blindness. The initial phase of the disease can be accompanied by a unilateral manifestation of pathology: the patient sees worse with one eye, although both of the conduction nerve are affected. After a short period of time, the functions of the visual apparatus are restored.

With multiple sclerosis there are various pathologies of eye movement, characteristic for the onset of the disease. This lag in the eye movement during tracking, difficulty in moving in the horizontal plane, etc. The difference in the size of the pupils is very rare, as they are innervated by vegetative fibers of the central nervous system, which are less myelinated and less damaged.

3 Spasmodic disorders of

This is the most frequent and typical syndrome of multiple sclerosis, since the descending nerve fibers are covered with myelin sheath, which is destroyed by an autoimmune attack. There are muscle twitches, spasms, an increase in the tone of the extensor muscles. Especially these disorders are manifested in hypothermia or full bladder, which is explained by the destruction of the nerves of the descending spinal cord.

Muscle weakness is most often seen in the lower limbs or on one side of the body, grasping the arm and leg. The initial stage is accompanied by a slow increase in the symptom, which is aggravated by exposure to high temperature. Hot bath, hot food intake, physical activity provoke muscle weakness. Even a slight increase in temperature leads to blocking the passage of the signal through myelin-deprived nerves. Symptom of muscle weakness, visual disturbances, coordination of movement with increasing body temperature is an important feature in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

4 Dysfunction of cerebral activity

When the structures of the cerebellum are damaged, there is a loss of walking ability, coordination and speech disorders. In the initial stage of the disease, they are rare, but if the symptoms are observed, it signals an unfavorable prognosis of the course of the disease.

Symptoms of damage to the nerve cells of the cerebellum are: hand tremor during movement, uncontrolled rapid movements, impaired movement at dusk.

Symptom of swallowing disorders often accompanies the initial stage of the disease, but patients rarely complain of this dysfunction.

Sensitivity disorder is due to diffuse lesions of the posterior dorsal columns at the cervical level and the medial loop, which are responsible for pain, sensation of temperature, tactile sensitivity.

In the initial stage, there is rarely a complete loss of function, most often the patient feels pain in the muscles of the limbs, squeezing or the feeling of an electric shock when the head is tilted.

Often there are also painful sensations of varying strength and localization. The pain in the facial muscles affects both sides of the face, accompanied by a burning sensation, injections or severe spilled pain. Clearly defined pains can affect bones, muscles, limb joints and some internal organs.

A special symptom of developing multiple sclerosis can be considered a headache that occurs with tension.

The rupture of the communication of the centers of urination located in the spinal cord and brain leads to urinary incontinence, a feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder, frequent urination. If the nerves of the cervical or thoracic region are damaged, the patient feels pain when urinating, difficulty, incomplete emptying of the bladder. With the coccygeal localization of the lesion, there is no urge to urinate completely, and the process is chronicly delayed. Symptoms of a violation of the innervation of the pelvis are also diagnostic at an early stage of the disease.

Violations of higher nervous activity are manifested in more than half of the cases of sclerosis. The patient loses self-criticism, a sense of proportion, strains crying or laughing. The logical thinking, memory, lability of switching, the speed of assimilation of information suffers. In the initial stage, patients often complain not of a decrease in cognitive function, but of severe fatigue when solving problems or remembering.

Emotional disorders, accompanied by depression, euphoria, anxiety, irritability or complete apathy, occur in most patients. When there are dystrophic changes in the spinal cord, symptoms of vegetative disorders are observed: dizziness, subfebrile body temperature, hypotension, cardiac arrhythmias, osteoporosis.

Timely diagnosis of the disease and proper treatment can improve the patient's quality of life and delay the onset of a persistent disability.