Multiple sclerosis (MS) results when the body’s immune system starts to attack and destroy myelin, the protecting coating on nerve fibers in the brain and/or spinal cord of the central nervous system. The commons symptoms of MS include fatigue; numbness and tingling of the face, body, arms and legs; muscle spasms; walking difficulties; bladder problems; bowel problems; vision problems; cognitive changes, and others.
But there are some less common symptoms of MS that you should know about. Here’s a list of eight lesser known potential MS signs.
1. Speed Problems
Speech problems might happen in approximately 25 to 40 percent of multiple sclerosis’ patients. Problems with speech may show during a later stage of the disease course and during periods when patients experience an extreme level of fatigue. Stuttering is also a speech issue that can occasionally occur.
2. Swallowing Problems
Difficulty swallowing, called dysphasia, is a serious result of nerve damage. It can occur if there is nerve damage to any part of the brain that controls swallowing or if there is damage to the connections between the brain and the spinal cord.
3. Tremor
Tremor, or shaking uncontrollably, may happen in several parts of the body. This is a result of damaged areas along the complex nerve pathways that are responsible for coordination of movements.
4. Seizures
Seizures are the result of abnormal electrical discharges in an injured area of the brain. They are estimated to occur in 2 to 5 percent of people with MS.
5. Breathing Problems
Trouble breathing may occur in people with damage to the autonomic (automatic) nervous system which is responsible for our breathing without us even thinking about it. Weakness can occur in the ventilatory muscles of the chest or abdomen.
6. Itching
Itching, also called pruritis, is not the kind of itching people without MS feel. MS patients describe the itching as “pins and needles”, burning, stabbing, or tearing pains.
7. Headache
Headaches are not a common symptom of multiple sclerosis, but some reports suggest that people with MS may experience an increased incidence of certain types of headache such as migraine.
8. Hearing Loss
About 6 percent of patients with from multiple sclerosis complain of impaired hearing. Hearing loss can occur but it is rare.
