multiple sclerosis community | introduction

BMJ Group Medical Reference


Introduction

ms-woman_default.jpgIt's hard to say how multiple sclerosis (MS) will affect you. It affects people in different ways.

A lot depends on which type of MS you have. (To learn more about the different kinds of MS, see Types of multiple sclerosis.)If you have the most common type, relapsing-remitting MS, your symptoms may come and go for many years. There may be periods when you feel fine.
If you have primary or secondary progressive MS, your symptoms won't go away. They will probably continue to worsen.
  • If your relapsing-remitting MS was diagnosed 10 years ago, your chances of having secondary progressive MS are about 5 in 10 (50 percent).[1]
Here are some more things we know about how MS may affect you.
  • The longer you have MS, the more symptoms you're likely to have. You may gradually need more help getting around.
  • But some people with MS have very little disability even after 15 to 20 years.
  • Don't assume you'll need a wheelchair. Many people with MS can walk unaided. Others can walk short distances but need walking aids and perhaps a motorised chair or scooter to help them with longer trips.
  • More and more people with MS are now taking drugs to reduce relapses (flare-ups) and slow the disease. These drugs haven't been around long enough for doctors to see their effects over many years.
  • MS doesn't change how long you live by much. You'll probably live almost as long with MS as you would if you didn't have the disease.[2]
  • It's hard for doctors to say what will happen to you, but certain things about your MS can help your doctors roughly predict what might happen. For more, see What your MS can tell you about your future.

Citations

  • 1. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Management of multiple sclerosis in primary and secondary care. November 2003. Clinical guideline 8. Available at http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG8 (accessed on 14 December 2009).
  • 2. Nicholas R, Chataway J. Multiple sclerosis. May 2009. Clinical Evidence (Based on June 2008 search). Available at http://clinicalevidence.bmj.com/ceweb/conditions/nud/1202/1202.jsp (accessed on 15 December 2009).
Last Updated: April 16, 2010
This information does not replace medical advice.  If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited ("BMJ Group") 2009. All rights reserved.

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