MS, or multiple sclerosis, is a disease in which the body's immune systems attacks myelin, or the covering of the nerves in the brain or spinal cord or both. Damage to the covering affects the signal passing through the nerve. MS is most common in women between the ages of 20 and 40, according to Medline Plus, of the National Institutes of Health. Furthermore, researchers do not know the cause of MS, but have developed theories that suggest that MS can be triggered by a virus or genetic abnormality. Patients should be aware of MS flare up symptoms.
Optic Neuritis
Optic neuritis is commonly a pre MS flare up symptom. Optic neuritis is the partial or complete loss of vision that usually occurs in one eye at a time. Furthermore, optic neuritis causes a severe pain with eye movement, states MayoClinic.com. A patient experiencing these symptoms may be developing MS; thus, immediate medical treatment is required. Early MS medications can treat optic neuritis and prevent or delay further progression to other MS symptoms.
Numbness
A patient in the pre MS flare up stage may experience numbness or abnormal sensation in any area of the body, states Medline Plus. Typically, sensory deficits only occur on one side of the body, but can occur on both. Furthermore, numbness can wax and wane, decrease in size or increase in size in the pre MS flare up stages. In this case, a patient with MS should be cautious of worsening MS. He should tell his doctor of pre MS numbness and take medications as advised to prevent further MS complications.
Dizziness
Medline Plus states that a patient may experience dizziness or a loss of balance in the pre MS stages. This occurs because nerves in the brain and spinal cord that control balance may be affected. Damage may affect areas of the brain that are responsible for balance, or nerves in the spinal cord that relay information to and from the brain to the body may be damaged. In this case, a patient should let his doctor know of this underlying symptom so MS treatments can be started.
Muscle Spasms
In some cases, a patient in the pre MS flare up stage may experience muscle spasms or twitches. This occurs because nerves that send signals to the muscle are damaged. Muscles respond to a decrease in nerve signal with muscle spasms or twitches. Thus, muscle spasms may be a sign of an MS flare up. A patient should follow the doctor's recommendations in treating these symptoms.
