Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms- Cognitive, Sensory And Motor Symptoms

Multiple sclerosis is a capricious disease ? its symptoms vary on a case to case basis. Thus, each attack or relapse is unique and symptoms can manifest in various ways. It may crop up from cognitive problems while others may feel disabilities resulting from loss or diminished motor functions. To better understand the symptoms of this condition, listed below are the most common general symptoms observed among MS patients.

COGNITIVE SYMPTOMS
Anxiety
Bipolar syndrome, a psychological disorder which is, in general, characterized by a passive-aggressive attitude
Cognitive dysfunction , which may involve difficulty of word recall or of substituting one word for another, problems related to the clarity of memory, and forgetfulness.
Dementia, which is characterized by on-going decline of cognitive functions which affects memory, language, attention as well as problem-solving abilities
Depression, often a psychological response that results from constant irritability, frustration and generally unhealthy emotions
Emotional disability, may be caused by the inability to cope to the emotional problems rooting from other symptoms of multiple sclerosis
Mood swings, a result of sporadic flow of nerve impulses, a person with multiple sclerosis may suffer from erratic mood swings. Patients report of constantly and rapidly changing moods.
Sense of euphoria
Speech impairment and reduced speech comprehension without loss of capacity to speak or Aphasia and Dysphasia

SENSORY SYMPTOMS
Anaesthesia, while this is more commonly associated as the drug used for numbing sensation useful during invasive operations, this, however, is generally classified as the loss of feeling or numbness in some parts of the body of an MS patient.
L’Hermitte’s, otherwise known as Barber Chair Phenomenon, is a condition characterized by an electric sensation that runs through the spinal cord to the limbs. This is typically felt after bending the head backwards or forwards.
Neuropathic pain, or neuralgia is a pain that is caused by the non-activation of pain receptor cells in the body. This is an unusual pain that may root from messed up system of transferring brain signals from one neuron to another.
Paraesthesia, or parasthesia is a skin-related sensation where the skin feels tickled, numbed or pricked with no apparent physical cause. This is more commonly recognized as the sensation of “pins and needles”.
Proprioceptive Dysfunction, it is a sensory processing disorder that leads to constant falling, tripping and other uncontrolled movements. It roots from dysfunctional sensory feedback.
Trigeminal Neuralgia, or prosopalgia is a neuropathic condition that causes painful sensations of the ear, eyes, nose, lips, scalp, teeth, forehead and jaw. In short, it is pain associated with any of the three Trigeminal nerves found on the face.

MOTOR SYMPTOMS
Footdrop, a condition where the foot drags uncontrollably when walking
Involuntary muscle cramps and spasms which are attributed to irregular flow of nerve impulses to the muscle tissues
Loss of muscle tone which results to stiffness, movement restriction and pain in the limbs. Also called spasticity
Muscle atrophy which may result from lack of muscle activities or use
Muscle weakness, otherwise called paresis (all types specifically monoparesis, hemiparesis, quadraparesis, and paraparesis), more popularly distinguished as mild or partial paralysis
Posture problems, Restless Leg Syndrome, tics and involuntary muscle jerking which result from the irregularity of nerve impulses
Problems with reflexes
Speech problems such as slurred speech or dysarthria
Total or near total loss of muscle strength

Posted by Jenny @ 3:48 pm