Surprising Signs of Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is both a neurodegenerative disease and an autoimmune disease. The immune system mistakenly attacks the nervous system, stripping brain and spinal cord nerves of their protective myelin sheath and disrupting messages they send to areas of the body about how to perform.

Myelin damage can occur in your brain, spinal cord, and nerves supplying your eyes, leading to problems with motor and vision. And while there’s no cure for MS, there are treatments designed to minimize damage and help you manage symptoms.

Our expert team of neurologists at Memphis Neurology treats many neurodegenerative diseases, including MS. Many people know about the major signs of the disorder. Still, some lesser-known ones can give you an early warning, during which you can seek medical help.

Types of MS

There are four types of multiple sclerosis. Each is a way for the doctor to describe your symptoms instead of being four different conditions:

1. Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS)

When you develop the first symptoms suggestive of MS, but you don’t meet the criteria for having the disorder, doctors often label it as CIS. Since inflammation and myelin damage cause the symptoms, CIS can develop into multiple sclerosis.

2. Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)

This is overwhelmingly the most common way MS begins — some 85% of people diagnosed with MS have this type. It causes flare-ups (relapses) of symptoms, old or new, followed by periods of remission and then more flare-ups.

3. Secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS)

Much of the time, RRMS progresses to SPMS. In this stage, nerve damage accumulates, and symptoms gradually worsen. You can still experience relapses or flares, but it’s less likely you’ll have periods of remission.

4. Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS)

Sometimes, MS symptoms begin slowly and gradually worsen over time without any clear periods of relapses or remission.

Best-known signs of MS

The most common symptoms of MS include fatigue, clumsiness, dizziness, difficulty regulating the bladder, loss of balance and coordination, difficulty with cognitive function, mood changes, muscle stiffness, and muscle spasms.

These symptoms vary from person to person and may fluctuate in severity daily. You may develop some of these symptoms, but you’ll unlikely have all of them simultaneously.

Surprising (lesser-known) signs of MS

Some signs of multiple sclerosis are less well-known, but they should be taken seriously.

Pseudobulbar affect (PSA)

PSA is a symptom that’s a bit unusual. It occurs when a person with MS bursts out in laughter when they don’t think anything is funny or sob loudly when they’re not sad or may even be happy.

PSA occurs when the brain circuits between an actual emotion and the outward expression of the emotion become disconnected. Many patients find this both frustrating and debilitating, and it can lead to social isolation and depression.

Itchiness (or pruritis)

This is more than just your average itch. It can be debilitating, difficult to treat, and dramatically impact quality of life. The itch is as much a sensory disturbance as the sensory pain symptomatic of MS. Both conditions are treated with the same medications.

Itchiness is one of a group of MS symptoms known as paroxysmal symptoms, which occur in multiple but brief, sudden-onset episodes. These symptoms can occur as motor symptoms, sensory or pain problems, visual disturbances, or other more typical symptoms.

Intractable hiccups

Another paroxysmal symptom of MS is that these hiccups (spasms of the diaphragm) don’t go away for weeks to months. They’re incredibly uncomfortable, can be painful, and may require hospitalization for treatment.

Crocodile tears

Crocodile tears, a term meaning crying when you’re not really sad, apparently comes from the belief that crocodiles cry after killing prey.

Crocodile tears, also known as Bogorad syndrome, involve crying while eating or drinking in patients recovering from Bell’s Palsy, a facial weakness that sometimes occurs in people with MS. It can resolve on its own, may respond to physiotherapy and neuromodulators like Botox® can be helpful.

Pseudoathetosis

These abnormal writhing movements, often of the fingers, are caused by damage to the brain pathways that transmit and process information about where your body is in space, known as proprioception. It’s a fairly rare syndrome but one that occasionally shows up.

These are just some of the lesser-known signs of MS. It’s essential to discuss any symptoms with your Memphis Neurology team, no matter how unusual. Many diagnoses are based on the exclusion of other conditions.

Do you or a loved one have multiple sclerosis? Are you uncertain about the symptoms? Memphis Neurology can help. Call us at either our Southaven, Mississippi, or Germantown, Tennessee, location, or book online today.