symptoms

Bladder and bowel problems, which affect more than half of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, should be assessed and monitored regularly to better adapt treatment plans and ultimately improve patients’ quality of life. That is among recommendations of Jane Young and Joan Bradley, two nurses with experience in MS care and…

A blood test for serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels, along with radiological findings, can help to detect early cognitive issues in people recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The study “Cortical Thickness and Serum NfL Explain Cognitive Dysfunction in Newly Diagnosed Patients…

In people with early-stage multiple sclerosis (MS), the presence of high levels of neurofilament light chain (sNfL) protein in the bloodstream combined with thinning of the retina is a strong indicator of future disease activity, a recent study demonstrates. “Our findings encourage the application of both sNfL and retinal…

Moderate-to-severe bowel dysfunction was detected in 14.5% of adult people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an Italian study reports. The prevalence of bowel dysfunction was increased in women and in patients with progressive forms of MS, higher disability, older age, and longer disease duration. Despite the prevalence of bowel dysfunction…

I’ve had pee problems for as long as I’ve had multiple sclerosis. Many folks with MS have issues, including urinary urgency, frequency, or both, bladders that don’t empty completely, or streams that don’t start when you need to go. There are medications to treat these problems. The best known…

The light of the television screen illuminates the darkness. I want so much to sleep, but my body has other plans. After a hot shower and multiple medications, my legs continue to dance. The constant ache, twitch, and kick are a rhythmic routine. But my body is tired and…

People newly diagnosed with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) or multiple sclerosis (MS) frequently experience pain, fatigue, depression, and anxiety in the first year after diagnosis, a new study finds. Fatigue was reported by almost two-thirds of new patients, and half experienced pain. Many individuals experienced multiple symptoms simultaneously,…

A smartphone-based app called Floodlight can reliably assess cognition, arm and hand function, and walking abilities in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new analyses. “Detection of progression onset or worsening is critical to optimally adapt the therapeutic strategy” patients are using to treat the neurodegenerative disease,…

I have always liked the odd horror movie, the odder the better. I was a bit of a fan of the trash Troma Studio mob, where their tongue was so firmly in their cheek it usually stuck right through it. For you youngsters out there, think the “Sharknado”…

Can I survive without dessert? Can I live without ice cream, chocolate, and fruit pies, or with only a small amount of beef when I want a burger? The other day, my wife decided to start the ketogenic diet to try to lose some weight. I’m a skinny guy, so…

Visits to the hospital related to multiple sclerosis (MS) are more common when it’s hot or when temperatures are more variable, but less likely to be needed when it’s humid, a new analysis suggests. The results were published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, in…

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It’s all happening at once. Yesterday, a box turned up with my new lymphedema wraps, which use compression to help reverse my lymphedema symptoms. I’ve been waiting for the wraps for nearly a month. It turns out I’m such an unusual size that they had to be imported from…

A natural, small molecule called 3-HKA) has shown potent anti-inflammatory activity in lab tests and mouse models of immune-related diseases, a study found. The findings suggest that molecules that mimic 3-HKA (3-hydroxy-L-kynurenamine) may serve as broad-acting therapeutics to protect against inflammation in several autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including multiple…

Larger declines with treatment in blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a marker of nerve cell damage, are associated with fewer brain lesions, less brain shrinkage, and lower relapse rates in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reported. These results, based on a post-hoc analysis…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the label for Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) in adults for the treatment of upper limb spasticity — a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) — to include eight more muscles. The new approval will allow Botox to be used to treat…

People who develop multiple sclerosis (MS) in childhood have more difficulty recognizing words and faces than healthy individuals, a small study found. The volume of certain structures of the limbic system — a part of the brain involved in memory and emotion — is smaller in those with MS,…

Chong Kun Dang (CKD) Pharmaceutical’s experimental oral therapy CKD-506 suppressed inflammation, myelin loss (demyelination), and lessened symptoms in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reported. Notably, the therapy resulted in benefits generally comparable to those of Gilenya (fingolimod) in these mice. But it also…

Subtle changes in structure in the hippocampus — a region of the brain involved in processing memories — can differentiate between relapsing-remitting and primary progressive multiple sclerosis, according to a new study. The study, “Unraveling the MRI-Based Microstructural Signatures Behind Primary Progressive and Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Phenotypes,”…

Hypertension — high blood pressure — triples the risk of severe walking disability in Hispanic and Latino people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new observational study reports. The study, “Hypertension and hypertension severity in Hispanics/Latinx with MS,” was published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal. Although…

I sit amid the flood of carpet stain remover. My left leg is elongated as my right leg is at a jackknife. The cool of the fluid penetrates my sweats. Shock dissipates into pain. I try to move, but pain sears down toward my tailbone. I sit in the dark…

The strength of the muscles used to exhale a breath may predict physical ability and disease severity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reported. Patients in this study with weaker expiratory muscles were also those with greater physical disability and more severe disease. The study, “Pulmonary…

Nerve tissue scars associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) show marked differences from those of similar neurodegenerative disorders, according to a recent study. MS-associated inflammation causes brain and spinal cord lesions (nerve tissue scarring) that often are bigger and last longer than those of two other demyelinating diseases: myelin oligodendrocyte…

Blacks with multiple sclerosis (MS) have more severe disease and greater disability at their first visit than white patients, even when differences in socioeconomic status are taken into account, a large U.S. study found. The data showed that Black patients with MS had lower scores on some measures of…

Could a cannabis spray be just what the doctor ordered to treat our MS symptoms? I’m talking about Sativex (nabiximols), which has been developed as a treatment for moderate and severe MS spasticity. Sativex combines THC, the chef intoxicant in marijuana, with CBD, marijuana’s nonpsychoactive component. It’s sprayed…

A numb, weak leg. Yay. Another thing to add to the list of crappy challenges I’ve had to face this year. If you ask me, it’s all been a bit too much, and I’d like to get off this ride and get my money back, please. I recently rang my…

MIND Diet May Protect Brain Tissue in MS The Mediterranean Diet is one of several diets that proponents believe slow their MS progression and in some cases help to improve some symptoms. However, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society says that “evidence of effectiveness [of any MS diet] is…

In the four decades I’ve lived with MS, I’d never before experienced a serious case of vertigo. I’ve occasionally felt a little spacey. In fact, mild dizziness while traveling home from a business convention is one of the things that led to my MS diagnosis in 1980. But vertigo is…

Raised serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels may indicate the presence of brain lesions with chronically active inflammation that are linked with more aggressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study suggests. People with high sNfL levels, the study revealed, had greater numbers of chronic inflammation lesions and…

Many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) start experiencing symptoms of the disease several years before being diagnosed, a new study suggests. While it has long been known that people with MS tend to seek medical attention more frequently in the years before diagnosis than those without the disease, there…