Symptom management in multiple sclerosis

Presently, the course of multiple sclerosis (MS) can be altered little, if at all. Appropriate symptom management, however, can change the course of lives and allow for more comfortable, healthier living despite significant disease. Symptoms in MS are divided into three broad categories. Those that result from actual demyelination include decreased vision, weakness, spasticity, bladder problems, ataxia, numbness, and decreased cognition. Secondary symptoms spring from the primary; these symptoms include contractures, urinary tract infections, megacolon, decubiti, decreased bony calcification, and muscle atrophy. Tertiary symptoms are the unavoidable psychological, vocational, and social problems that occur with chronic disease. This article reviews standard therapies, but the emphasis is on newer management solutions that may not have reached their full potential, though they add to the development of an appropriate life-management plan for persons with MS. The pharmacological approach to symptom management is emphasized, while understanding that rehabilitation and medications cannot be separated in the real life alleviation of MS symptoms.