Guide To The Types Of Multiple Sclerosis

Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is distinguished from other types of multiple sclerosis by a patient who has clearly established episodes of increasing or new neurologic symptoms. Around eighty-five percent of patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis have RRMS. The relapses or attacks in the RRMS-affected individual are superseded by remissions or periods of complete or partial recovery. Some of a patient's symptoms may become permanent and continue during periods of remission, or all symptoms may dissipate. In addition, there are no indications of progression of multiple sclerosis during an individual's periods of remission. The terms used to describe different states of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis include active, not active, worsening, or not worsening. Active RRMS is characterized by a relapse of a patient's symptoms with or without new MRI activity. Worsening RRMS is characterized by a defined increase in a patient's disabilities over a prespecified period that supersedes a relapse.

Secondary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) is a form of multiple sclerosis characterized by a relapsing and remitting disease course. The secondary progression course of multiple sclerosis is defined by an accumulation of the patient's disability over time or progressive worsening of the individual's neurological function. The terms active, not active, with progression, and without progression can be used to describe the state of a patient's SPMS. When there is evidence of new MRI activity and or a relapse of symptoms, it is considered to be active SPMS. When there is evidence the disease is becoming worse on an objective assessment of change over time, it is described as SPMS with progression. The majority of the individuals who are diagnosed with the RRMS variation will ultimately progress to a secondary progression course. While relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis is caused by bouts of inflammation, an individual's multiple sclerosis will gradually alter over time from the RRMS inflammation precipitated episodes to the more steadily worsening phase of secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis characterized by nerve loss or damage.