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Multiple sclerosis (MS) can cause a wide range of symptoms and affect any part of the body. Each person with the condition is affected differently.
The symptoms are unpredictable. Some people's symptoms develop and worsen steadily over time, while for others they come and go.
Periods when symptoms get worse are known as relapses. Periods when symptoms improve or disappear are known as remissions.
Some of the most common symptoms include:
Most people with MS only have a few of these symptoms.
See a GP if you're worried you might have early signs of MS. The symptoms can be similar to several other conditions, so they're not necessarily caused by MS.
Feeling fatigued is one of the most common and troublesome symptoms of MS.
It's often described as an overwhelming sense of exhaustion that means it can be a struggle to carry out even the simplest activities.
Fatigue can significantly interfere with your daily activities and tends to get worse towards the end of each day, in hot weather, after exercising, or during illness.
In around 1 in 4 cases of MS, the first noticeable symptom is a problem with one of your eyes (optic neuritis).
You may experience:
Other problems that can occur in the eyes include:
Occasionally, both of your eyes may be affected.
Abnormal sensations can be a common initial symptom of MS.
This often takes the form of numbness or tingling in different parts of your body, such as the arms, legs or trunk, which typically spreads out over a few days.
MS can cause your muscles to:
MS can make walking and moving around difficult, particularly if you also have muscle weakness and spasticity.
You may experience:
Some people with MS experience pain, which can take 2 forms.
This is pain caused by damage to the nervous system.
It may include:
Muscle spasms can sometimes be painful.
Back, neck and joint pain can be indirectly caused by MS, particularly for people who have problems walking or moving around that puts pressure on their lower back or hips.
Some people with MS have problems with thinking, learning and planning, known as cognitive dysfunction.
This can include:
But many of these problems aren't specific to MS and can be caused by a wide range of other conditions, including depression and anxiety, or even some medicines.
Many people with MS experience periods of depression. It's unclear whether this is directly caused by MS or the result of the stress of having to live with a long-term condition, or both.
Anxiety can also be a problem for people with MS, possibly because of the unpredictable nature of the condition.
In rare cases, people with MS can experience rapid and severe mood swings, suddenly bursting into tears, laughing, or shouting angrily for no apparent reason.
MS can have an effect on sexual function.
Men with MS often find it hard to obtain or maintain an erection (erectile dysfunction).
They may also find it takes a lot longer to ejaculate when having sex or masturbating, and may even lose the ability to ejaculate altogether.
For women, problems include difficulty reaching orgasm, as well as decreased vaginal lubrication and sensation.
Both men and women with MS may find they're less interested in sex than they were before.
This could be directly related to MS, or it could be the result of living with the condition.
Bladder problems are common in MS.
They may include:
These problems can also have a range of causes other than MS.
Many people with MS also have problems with their bowel function.
Constipation is the most common problem. You may find passing stools difficult and pass them much less frequently than normal.
Bowel incontinence is less common, but is often linked to constipation.
If a stool becomes stuck, it can irritate the wall of the bowel, causing it to produce more fluid and mucus that can leak out of your bottom.
Again, some of these problems aren't specific to MS and can even be the result of medicines, such as medicines prescribed for pain.
Some people with MS experience difficulty chewing or swallowing (dysphagia) at some point.
Speech may also become slurred, or difficult to understand (dysarthria).
