Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects the central nervous system and has four main types: relapsing/remitting, secondary progressive, progressive relapsing, and primary progressive. There are also subtypes, including Devic’s disease, benign MS, and malignant MS.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that affects the central nervous system. It rarely affects people in exactly the same way, and several different types have been identified over time. In addition to the four main types of this condition, there are a number of subtypes that can be used to describe the different forms of the disease. The four main types are relapsing/remitting, secondary progressive, progressive relapsing, and primary progressive.
Relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis is defined by the patient experiencing relapses or episodes of the disease. Just over 80% of those with MS start with this type. During a relapse, patients may experience symptoms not shown before and may also see other symptoms experienced before they worsen, change, or are not present. During the remission phase, the symptoms subside, and the effects caused by symptoms such as limb disability may also lessen or disappear altogether. Periods of remission vary greatly. Some will only experience a few days of remission, while others may experience months or years of remission.
Secondary progressive multiple sclerosis is usually a second stage of relapsing/remitting MS. About 90% of those with that type will transition to this type. Remissions are characterized by a worsening of the disease, whereby relapses become more severe. Generally, there are very few relapses after a while as the condition simply worsens until the central nervous system is completely affected. This process, however, can take many years and many with this type can still live quite normal and active lives because the progression is not sudden.
Progressive relapsing multiple sclerosis is characterized by acute attacks, with poor recovery during relapses, which are few. Meanwhile, relapses do not represent recovery of the central nervous system, but merely a lull before more significant attacks. About 5% of those with MS have this type.
Primary progressive multiple sclerosis occurs in about 10% of those with MS. The body gradually becomes disabled, but the person tends not to suffer from acute attacks. This type can be more difficult to diagnose because there are no attacks to herald the disease. However, gradual impairment of movement and increasing disability usually help diagnose the disease within a few years of development.
Multiple sclerosis subtypes boil down to the smallest detail. A subtype called Devic’s disease attacks the spine and particularly the eyes. This can cause eye pain, blurred vision, and acute vision loss. Some may lose color differentiation in vision.
Benign MS is a subtype of relapse/remission. Usually a person has a single attack and then the disease goes into remission over a long period of time, sometimes a decade or more. Malignant multiple sclerosis, on the other hand, is very serious and fortunately rare. The disease progresses at an extremely rapid rate and is most likely to cause significant disability within a year of onset. This subtype may also be called acute MS or Marburg variant.
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