There is also a host of other free publications which can be downloaded to your computer to read or save, these are called PDF files (Portable Document Files) and are in the download column on this following link here.
There are four types of MS, each with its own characteristics, but each as unpredictable as the other. It might not be clear which type of MS you have when you are first diagnosed.
However, by noting changes over time, your neurologist should be able to clarify the type of MS you have.
Most people who have relapsing remitting MS later develop a form known as secondary progressive MS. This type of MS is identified when your condition becomes steadily worse, and your disability progresses, for a period of six months or more, whether you continue to have relapses or not.
To diagnose secondary progressive MS, the neurologist must be sure that the disability is the result of slow progression and this can be difficult to establish, especially when some people with secondary progressive MS continue to have relapses while other do not.
For people who are no longer having relapses, the diagnosis of secondary progressive MS can be more straightforward. For those who are continuing to have attacks, however, diagnosing secondary progressive MS can be quite difficult. For instance, although many people recover from relapses within three months, in some cases it can take up to six months, or even longer, before full recovery takes place. Not everybody with relapsing remitting MS goes on to develop the secondary progressive form. On average, approximately 65% of people with relapsing remitting MS will have developed secondary progressive MS after 15 years.
Most people are diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS. This is when you have relapses (a flare-up of symptoms), followed by remissions (period of recovery). Relapses are unpredictable. They can last for days, weeks or months and vary from mild to severe. During a relapse you will either experience new symptoms, or a recurrence or worsening of previous symptoms. During remission, symptoms can disappear completely, though sometimes people make only a partial recovery. Symptoms might not always be due to a new relapse. For example, exercise or hot weather can sometimes raise body temperature and make symptoms worse. Any changed or new symptoms must last for at least 24 hours to be described as a relapse.
Some people with relapsing remitting MS never seem to develop secondary progression, even after many decades.
These people are sometimes described as having benign MS. This does not mean their MS is free of problems - it means simply that they have not developed major disability despite having MS for a long time. It is only possible to make a diagnosis of benign MS once you have experienced little or no disability for a period of 10 to 15 years.
With primary progressive MS, symptoms steadily worsen, resulting in a continued progression in disability. There are not distinct relapses and remissions. People with primary progressive MS tend to be diagnosed when they are a little older, usually in their forties or later. Unlike relapsing remitting MS, men are just as likely to be diagnosed with primary progressive MS as woman. While the other types of MS can affect both the brain and spinal cord, in primary progressive MS the majority of lesions tend to be found in the spinal cord. People with primary progressive MS never have any distinct attacks or remissions but begin with subtle problems that slowly worsen over time - their MS is progressive from the beginning. Problems tend to affect one main area and for the majority of people these are related to walking. However, people with MS can experience any MS symptom.
Find out more by watching Introducing MS - a 25 minute film in 3 parts made by the Stockport & District branch of the MS Society. The film provides helpful information about all aspects of MS. To watch this film click here.
This webpage was last updated on 25/02/2010 11:37:15
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