Warning signs of multiple sclerosis named: appear five years before exacerbation

The list included very common problems

Scientists shared useful data on how to detect a potential threat of developing multiple sclerosis in a person. Four signs were named that are worth paying attention to.

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Neurologists believe that constipation, bladder infections, depression and intimate problems could potentially indicate that a person will be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the future. The study found that these five diseases were observed in patients with multiple sclerosis five years before diagnosis.

Dr. Céline Loipré, a researcher at the Sorbonne University in Paris, said: “Of course, not everyone who has these symptoms will develop multiple sclerosis.” She added that these diseases are common and can be signs of other diseases.

However, Dr. Luapre is confident that this information may be useful for people at high risk of developing multiple sclerosis. For example, for those who have a family history.

Typical symptoms of the disease include difficulty walking, vision problems and numbness. It is noted that problems with the intestines and bladder are already recognized as symptoms of multiple sclerosis. The same goes for depression and sexual problems. However, patients usually first experience vision problems and difficulty walking.

Because symptoms are unpredictable, it can take years for patients to be diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.

Researchers studied data from 20,000 patients in the UK and France who were newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. They compared each person's medical history with three people who matched their age and gender but did not have the disease. The team then recorded which patients suffered from a range of 113 diseases and symptoms in the five years before and after their multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

The results, published in the journal Neurology, show that patients with multiple sclerosis are more likely to develop depression in the five years before their condition was confirmed, their condition was 22% higher than those without MS.

This group was also 50% more likely to experience constipation, while the risk of urinary infections tract (38%), sexual problems (37%) and bladder infections (21%) were also higher.

Experts said it «remains unclear» whether these conditions are «risk factors for multiple sclerosis» or «nonspecific early symptoms of multiple sclerosis.»

However, they hope that these «early signs» will help scientists understand the biological mechanisms that occur in the body of patients with multiple sclerosis before «real symptoms of the disease develop» .