Types
of MS
Multiple sclerosis is grouped into several
main types. These include:
Clinically Isolated Syndrome
The earliest form of
MS. There is a single attack of neurological symptoms,
but often
multiple lesions are seen on the brain MRI.
Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)
Characterized
by clearly defined attacks (relapses) followed by complete
or partial recovery (remissions); most common form (75%
at the time
of diagnosis).
Benign MS
A sub-type of RRMS in which remission
after relapses is almost complete, so that 10-15 years
after the onset of the disease, there is still only minimal
disability. Ten to fifteen per cent of all cases of MS are benign.
In
most cases of benign MS, the symptoms mainly affect the
senses of
sight and/or touch. The proportion of people with MS
who
still have benign MS decreases with time, from 60% after
10 years,
to 40% after 20 years, and to 25% after 30 years.
Progressive MS
Disability slowly and continuously
increases with or without relapses.
Primary-progressive MS
Less common (10 to 15% at
time of diagnosis), people with this type of MS have
a nearly continuous
worsening of MS from the beginning with no clear
relapses or remissions. Primary progressive MS generally appears
in people
in their forties, and it is the only form of MS that
affects men and women equally.
Secondary-progressive
The disease becomes
progressive after an initial relapsing-remitting
phase. Eventually (after
5-25 years or more) more people with relapsing-remitting
MS develop secondary progressive MS. In this type
of MS, the disease
will
progress with or without relapses. When attacks do
occur, the recovery is usually not complete; so disability
then
accumulates
over time.
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