Select Language

English

Down Icon

Select Country

Netherlands

Down Icon

Study: These five symptoms can appear long before MS diagnosis

Study: These five symptoms can appear long before MS diagnosis

Walking problems, numbness, and muscle cramps are typical symptoms that can indicate multiple sclerosis (MS). But did you know that there are also several alarming symptoms that are much less well-known? And that these symptoms sometimes occur 15 years before the other known symptoms? This is according to a new study that examined the medical records of 12,000 people with MS.

You can read what these complaints are here.

Typical symptoms of MS include vision problems, difficulty walking, numbness, and muscle cramps. But other symptoms can also indicate the condition. The participants' medical records—which went back 25 years—showed that a number of unfamiliar symptoms occur well before the known symptoms.

The number of visits to the general practitioner (GP) was already slowly increasing 15 years before the onset of known neurological symptoms. Study participants at that time reported complaints such as fatigue , pain, dizziness, anxiety, and depression to their GPs. The number of visits to psychiatrists for mental health problems also increased 12 years before the onset of known symptoms.

The researchers do have an important caveat to the results. They warn that not everyone with such symptoms will develop MS. These are common symptoms that are often harmless or indicate other conditions. So, you don't need to worry immediately if you also experience the symptoms mentioned above.

MS is an incurable disease that isn't immediately fatal, but in its advanced stages can cause weakness in the chest muscles. This can lead to breathing and swallowing problems, which can cause life-threatening complications. People who are already in advanced stages of the disease are also extremely vulnerable to potentially fatal infections.

Some studies show that MS patients are up to 75 percent more likely to die young than people without the disease. Most people discover they have MS around age 30 or 40, but the first signs can appear years earlier. Researchers have previously discovered symptoms that can appear five years earlier, such as constipation, urinary tract infections, and sexual problems.

Want to know more about health? These articles will help you get started:

Health benefits of grapes significantly underestimated: '1600 healthy substances in a small fruit'

This is what research says about the benefits of fasting against tumors

Safe male pill without hormones in sight: 'Men often avoid side effects'

Metro Holland

Metro Holland

Similar News

All News
Animated ArrowAnimated ArrowAnimated Arrow