Chapter 1 - Clinical Manifestations of Multiple Sclerosis: An Overview

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a presumably immune-mediated, demyelinating, and neurodegenerative disease of the human central nervous system, which usually affects young adults and causes significant irreversible neurological disability. Up to 85% of newly diagnosed MS patients have relapsing–remitting (RR) disease which is characterized by periods of development of new or worsening of older neurological deficits followed by complete or partial improvement. In most cases, MS manifests between the ages of 20 and 40, with a peak age of 29 and females being predominantly affected, at least in the most common form of MS. MS lesions develop in various areas of the brain and spinal cord which in turn causes development of a wide array of clinical manifestations. In many cases the neurologic manifestations of MS present episodically and then advance to a progressive phase with steady accumulation of neurologic deficits. In many patients the severity and complexity of clinical manifestations of MS are severe and devastating and significantly compromise the patient's quality of life. The present chapter presents an overview of MS clinical features.