THE OUTCOME OF MS

It is generally very difficult to predict the course of MS. The disorder varies greatly in each individual.

"Sensory" or "cerebellar" symptoms

There are some guidelines that may be used to infer prognosis. Some studies have shown that people who have few attacks in the first several years after diagnosis, long intervals between attacks, complete recovery from attacks, and attacks that are sensory in nature (i.e., numbness or tingling) tend to do better.

People who have early symptoms that reflect damage to the part of the brain known as the cerebellum, such as tremor, incoordination, difficulty in walking, or who have frequent attacks with incomplete recoveries, tend to have a more progressive disease course.

People with MS can expect one of four courses of disease

MS tends to take one of four clinical courses, each of which might be mild, moderate, or severe:

• A relapsing-remitting course, characterized by partial or total recovery after attacks (also called exacerbations, relapses, or flares). This is the most common form of MS.
• A relapsing-remitting course which later becomes steadily progressive. Attacks and partial recoveries may continue to occur. This is called secondary-progressive MS.
• A progressive course from onset. This is called primary-progressive MS. The symptoms generally do not remit. A minority of people with MS experience this course.
• A progressive course from the outset which is also characterized by obvious acute attacks. This is called progressive-relapsing MS, and it is quite rare.

Researchers are currently trying to identify more precise indicators of the prognosis or predicted disease activity.