Multiple sclerosis, abbreviated MS, is a disease caused by damage to the brain and spinal cord. Approximately 400,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, according to the Penn State College of Medicine. While the precise cause of the disease is unknown, the damage to the brain and spinal cord appears to result from the body's immune system accidentally attacking itself and destroying the protective outer layer of the neurons. This damage to the neurons causes many symptoms, including facial symptoms.
Tingling and Numbness
Neurons are wrapped in a protective coat of a substance called myelin. As the myelin is destroyed in multiple sclerosis, the neurons sometimes begin sending incorrect signals back to the brain, such as tingling sensations. If the neurons connecting the face to the brain are damaged in multiple sclerosis, this can lead to tingling in the face. Alternatively, damage to the neurons may lead to a loss of all sensation in the affected area, which can cause a feeling of numbness in the face and the inability to feel sensations in the face, the Penn State College of Medicine explains.
Pain
The neurons typically suffer greater and greater damage as multiple sclerosis progresses, which can lead to the neurons incorrectly sending signals of pain back to the brain. Multiple sclerosis patients often experience a sharp, stabbing facial pain that doctors call trigeminal neuralgia, reports the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. This pain is caused by damage to the trigeminal nerve, which is also called the fifth cranial nerve. Damage to this nerve tends to cause sporadic episodes of sudden, extreme pain that feels like burning or an electrical shock. The episodes can last up to two minutes, and multiple attacks may rapidly follow each other. The pain can be so intense that people are mentally or physically incapacitated, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke explains.
Vision Problems
Vision problems often result from damage to the optic nerves caused by multiple sclerosis. Optic neuritis is a common condition that causes eye pain, loss of color vision, blurred vision and sometimes blindness, All About Multiple Sclerosis reports. Several other vision problems may occur, including uncontrollable, jerky eye movements; visual disturbances; and loss of coordination between the eyes.
Additional Symptoms
Multiple sclerosis often causes additional facial symptoms. Patients may develop difficulty chewing and swallowing, a condition known as dysphagia, MedlinePlus reports. Patients may also develop dysathria, which causes slurred speech, and they may be difficult to understand at times. Hearing loss has also been reported by patients with multiple sclerosis.
References
- Penn State College of Medicine: Multiple Sclerosis
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Multiple Sclerosis: Hope Through Research
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Trigeminal Neuralgia Fact Sheet
- MedlinePlus: Multiple Sclerosis
- All About Multiple Sclerosis: Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
