Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a progressive neurological disorder characterized by a set of classic symptoms that tend to flare and then resolve for a period of time before flaring again. These typical symptoms include stiffness, spasms, tingling, dizziness, fatigue, blurry vision and emotional lability. A host of atypical symptoms can also be found among MS sufferers. Like the typical symptoms, these symptoms tend to flare and regress.
Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is an atypical symptom of multiple sclerosis. It usually occurs during a flare-up of other symptoms and lasts for a day to a week before improving. Hearing loss may be accompanied by equilibrium problems, such as the development of a sensation that the room is whirling. Some patients complain of hearing a ringing in the ears.
Difficulty Swallowing
When multiple sclerosis affects the nerves to the throat and mouth area, the patient may experience difficulty with swallowing. This may result in food or beverages traveling to the lungs instead of the stomach. Aspiration pneumonia may develop, a potentially serious condition in which the lungs become inflamed due to the presence of these foreign substances.
Itching
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society explains that the itching found in some patients with MS tends to be severe but short-lived. It comes on suddenly and manifests on the face or another body part. It tends to strike in one area at a time. No rash or obvious sign of the reason for the itching is apparent.
Seizure
Seizure is another atypical symptom of MS. It occurs due to unusual electrical activity in the brain and is usually quite brief. An MS-induced seizure may involve a brief loss of consciousness while remaining still or a brief period of uncontrollable jerking movements while unconscious. In another type of seizure that may occur, the patient appears awake but does not respond to her name. During this brief period, she may repeat the same movement again and again, such as tapping on a table.
Difficulty Speaking
The person with multiple sclerosis may have trouble speaking. He may be unable to control the volume of his voice or his pitch may sound odd. The Merck Manual states that the patient's words may be slurred; he may also place a long pause between words. Speech problems often worsen when the patient is overly tired.
Difficulty Breathing
Occasionally, a person with multiple sclerosis develops difficulty breathing. This is due to weakness of the muscles in the chest and abdominal area that assist the lungs in filling with oxygen and fully exhaling.
References
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society: What We Know About MS: Symptoms
- Merck Manual Home Edition: Multiple Sclerosis
- "Medical-Surgical Nursing;" Donna Ignatavicius, M.S., R.N. and Linda Workman, Ph.D., R.N.; 2002
