People who are newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis may find that significant symptoms — including pain, fatigue, depression, and anxiety — can occur in a cluster during their first year following diagnosis, according to a recent study published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis.
Researchers at the University of Michigan and University of Washington based their analysis on data from 230 adults with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) — a course for MS. Specifically, CIS refers to a first episode of neurologic symptoms that lasts at least 24 hours. Participants self-reported measures of pain, fatigue, depression, and anxiety at six intervals during the first year following detection of their illness. About 7 out of 10 participants were female, the average age was 39, and most — 87 percent — were Caucasian, according to the study.
Half of the investigation subjects revealed having pain, 62.6 percent felt fatigued, 47.4 percent experienced signs of depression, and 38.7 percent indicated they had anxiety.
Although just over one-fifth of all participants had no symptoms, nearly 6 out of 10 said they faced a cluster of two or more afflictions at once in the first year. A total of 21.3 percent exhibited two co-occurring symptoms, 19.1 percent had three, and 17.4 percent experienced four symptoms at the same time.
“To read this article in its entirety click this link: During the First Year of Your MS Diagnosis.”