Merck Manuals Online Medical Library notes that about 400,000 people in the United States have multiple sclerosis, a neurological condition in which symptoms start between ages 20 and 40. Patients with multiple sclerosis, or MS, have a destruction of the myelin sheath that covers the neurons. Without a fully intact myelin sheath, the neurons cannot communicate properly, leading to problems with sensation, movement and involuntary functions. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke points out that most MS patients experience abnormal sensations, such as tingling.
Significance
When MS patients experienced tingling, it results from damage to sensory nerve fibers. The sensory nerves relay information to the brain after receiving sensory input, such as temperature. Once the brain receives that sensory information, it can send messages to the motor nerves to respond, such as moving a hand away from the hot temperature. When the myelin sheath on the sensory nerves because damaged due to MS, patients have altered sensations.
Identification
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke explains that MS patients may feel "pins and needles" on certain areas of their bodies. The tingling may occur within other types of abnormal sensations. For example, patients may also have numbness in certain areas of their bodies or a reduced sense of touch. Other altered sensations that may occur include pain and itching. Merck Manuals Online Medical Library adds that patients can experience the tingling in multiple areas of their bodies, such as their face, legs, arms or torso.
Types
Merck Manuals Online Medical Library notes that four symptom patterns that exist for MS, which affects when a patient would have the tingling symptoms. For example, if a patient has a relapsing-remitting pattern of symptoms, she has periods in which she has no symptoms and periods of symptom relapses, which an infection may trigger. MS patients with a primary progressive pattern of symptoms do not have any relapses and the MS progresses gradually, meaning the tingling may become worse. With a secondary progressive pattern of symptoms, patience have alternating periods of remission and gradual progression of MS. In the last type of symptom pattern, progressive relapsing pattern, patients have a gradual progression of MS with sudden relapses in between.
Treatment
While no cure exists for MS, the different treatment options may help patients manage their symptoms. MedlinePlus points out that medication such as interferons, natalizumab, glatiramer acetate and mitoxetrone may help slow the progression of the disorder, which may help the tingling and other sensation changes from worsening. If an MS patient has severe periods of symptoms, steroids may decrease the severity and duration. Merck Manuals Online Medical Library adds that if pain occurs with the tingling, patients may need to take anticonvulsant such as gabapentin or a tricyclic antidepressant such as amitriptyline.
Prognosis
An MS patient's prognosis depends on his specific case, such as how quickly the disease progresses. Merck Manuals Online Medical Library notes that the periods in which patients do not have any tingling symptoms may last between a few months or up to 10 years or more; 40 percent of MS patients do not have to change their normal activities due to their symptoms. MedlinePlus adds that people with the best prognosis include MS patients who are females, have a relapsing-remitting pattern of symptoms, have infrequent attacks, do not have extensive damage due to the disease and were younger than 30 years old at the onset of MS.
