Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a neurological disease that involves the body attacking the myelin sheaths around the nerves. It usually involves attacks where the myelin sheath attack occurs, along with periods of remission where no new attacks occur.
Significance
The symptoms of an MS attack indicate disease progression. If the patient is taking medication to control the disease, it may be a sign the medication is no longer working or that the disease is progressing.
Features
Symptoms of an MS attack vary widely from person to person but involve the disease's damage of the nerve's myelin sheath and correlating nerve irritation and damage. The most common symptoms of MS are neurological pain, numbness, tingling or paralysis on one or more body parts. Eyesight, hearing and swallowing are sometimes affected.
Time Frame
MS attacks occur when new symptoms appear or old symptoms reappear for longer than 24 hours. These attacks have to be at least a month apart to be a new attack and not just part of the previous attack.
Considerations
The same symptoms can appear during every attack, or new symptoms may appear every time. MS is unpredictable, and it varies from patient to patient whether the attacks are similar symptoms to previous attacks or proceeds to new ones every time. It's probable that attacks will be a combination of old and new symptoms.
Identification
The only way to confirm that new symptoms are indeed a new attack is to have an MRI scan with gadolinium enhancement. New or active lesions appear bright on enhanced scans, whereas old lesions are not.
Tags: symptoms appear, attacks occur, every time, myelin sheath