symptoms

The holidays have a way of turning up the volume on everything. The lights feel brighter, rooms feel busier, and even soft conversation seems amplified. Living with multiple sclerosis (MS) has taught me that this kind of noise isn’t just sound — it’s work. It’s one of the…

Simultaneously measuring levels of two blood proteins — glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament light chain (NfL) — may offer a clearer way to track both disease activity and disability progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new long-term study. Each…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) share similar symptoms but are two biologically distinct conditions, with different immune signatures, a study found. These findings help explain why treatments approved for MS generally show limited effectiveness for MOGAD, researchers said. “These findings support MOGAD as its…

People living with multiple sclerosis (MS) have consistently lower quality of life than the general population — regardless of age or gender, a new study shows. The scientists also identified several factors that are significantly associated with worse quality of life in MS. These included disease symptoms such as…

Metis Biotech‘s experimental oral therapy MTS-004 was safe and eased symptoms of pseudobulbar affect (PBA), a neurological condition marked by bouts of sudden, involuntary, and inappropriate laughter or crying, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders. That’s according to data from a Phase 3 clinical…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have altered levels of bacteria in their mouths, with reduced levels of normal healthy bacteria and higher levels of bacteria that can cause disease, a new study reports. “Your mouth may reveal more about your overall health than you think,” Ashutosh Mangalam, PhD, senior…

As a physician, I hang my hat on certainty, where a certain medical issue can be solved with a certain medication. But when it comes to real life, especially as a parent and a person living with multiple sclerosis (MS), I know there’s little certainty in everyday living. My…

Signs of myelin damage are detectable about one year before damage to nerve fibers is apparent and about seven years before the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, a new study reveals. These findings shed new light on the timing of MS onset, and could open new avenues to…

During my hospital stay earlier this year, all I could think about was the relief that would come when I finally went home. I pictured sinking into my own bed, exhaling for the first time in weeks, catching up with all that had happened inside my body. I needed…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are more than twice as likely to experience headaches, including migraines, than their healthy counterparts, a study from Greece found. Headaches were also longer and more intense for MS patients, and more likely to lead to the use of acute medication. “These findings suggest that headaches…

Going through menopause with multiple sclerosis (MS) can be challenging, as the changes that come with this stage of life may interact or occur in tandem with existing MS symptoms. A team of researchers recently studied how menopause affects women living with MS, with their findings presented…

Seizures in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be driven by changes in levels of certain brain signaling molecules, implying that targeting these molecules may be a viable strategy to treat MS-related seizures, according to new research done in a mouse model. “If the same transporters and receptors are…

Increasing blood vitamin D levels with high-dose supplementation can significantly reduce the risk of new disease activity in people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), or those who experienced a first episode of symptoms suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to new data from the D-Lay-MS…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) seem to experience significant changes in cognition more than a year before significant physical decline is evident, a study found. While measures of processing speed, verbal memory, and visual memory worsened after about 2.7 years, significant changes in walking function and dexterity were only…

Psychological testing indicates that I’m not crazy, but when I share some of the things I’ve done in the Army, people sometimes wonder. I never say that I’m not, because that’s what a crazy person would say. Instead, I provide a three-point answer: One, would I even know? Two,…

Life with multiple sclerosis (MS) is unpredictable, involving many unknowns. Symptoms can come and go, flare up without warning, and affect every aspect of our health, from movement to memory. Managing MS is already a full-time job, and the added weight of life’s uncertainties often makes it even more…

Children and adolescents who go on to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) begin visiting the emergency department more often than their peers as early as a dozen years before their first MS symptoms appear, a new study from Canada suggests. In fact, over an 18-year period, children later diagnosed…

Paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs), which represent areas of damage in the brain and spinal cord with chronic active inflammation, are highly indicative of multiple sclerosis (MS) in people being evaluated for the disease, a new study reports. The findings support using this imaging biomarker as a useful tool for…

We all have stomach or bathroom issues from time to time. Eat the wrong thing, catch a bug, drink too much coffee, and your body will let you know. That’s just life. But when you have multiple sclerosis (MS), digestive and urinary problems aren’t occasional; they become their own…

One of my more unusual symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) is itching that is unrelated to skin irritation. It occurs randomly, maybe once or twice a month, and lasts about 30-60 minutes. I have only experienced this symptom in my upper extremities, such as on a finger, thumb, or…

High doses of vitamin D provide clinically modest but statistically significant benefits for adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a meta-analysis of published clinical trials. The study found patients who took the supplement saw reductions in disability scores, relapses, and new lesion formation. Those who took vitamin D for…

New or worsening symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) are often part of the disease’s unpredictable nature, but there’s danger in assuming that every symptom flare is another relapse. When I think back on the course of my disease, I realize I could have made a serious error by making…

I tend to bite off more than I can chew because I think I can do it all. News flash: I can’t! But I’ll do my best to try to do it all, even under the constraints of living with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. As a 20-something, I don’t want…

People who develop multiple sclerosis (MS) begin using healthcare services more frequently up to 15 years before their first MS symptoms appear, a study from the University of British Columbia (UBC) suggests. The findings add to evidence that early signs of MS may go unnoticed for many years.

Neurofilament light chain (NfL) — a protein that gets released when nerve cells are damaged — is found at high levels in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), suggesting its potential as a biomarker of the disease, a study has found. CSF is…

More people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are using diet modifications to boost well-being and to manage symptoms, but there’s a lack of data on how these changes influence the course of the disease, a review study found. There’s also no standardized set of dietary recommendations for patients, the researchers…

Over the past three decades, the number of adults worldwide being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) has increased, but globally, rates of death related to complications of MS have declined, a new study shows. “The period from 1990 to 2021 has witnessed important shifts in the global landscape of…

About 48 hours ago as I’m writing these words, I began to hear a strange, high-pitched tone. At first I thought it was one of the dog collars we use with our invisible fence, but it was a little odd that I heard it inside while the dogs were in…

The night before I was supposed to teach an autoimmune nutrition class, I reentered a role I thought I’d finally outgrown. Instead of educating other practitioners in the functional medicine space, I found myself in the emergency room, listing symptoms I couldn’t fully untangle or explain. I wasn’t there…

A six-week music therapy intervention significantly reduced psychosocial fatigue — or fatigue that interferes with a person’s motivation and ability to engage in social and daily activities — and heat sensitivity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a clinical trial. Participants who received music therapy…