As MS patients are all too well aware, multiple sclerosis can cause a wide range of symptoms, from weakness and numbness to visual changes. But most MS patients don’t realize that they are very likely to have another condition known as autonomic dysfunction, or dysautonomia, and that it is dysautonomia rather than MS that is responsible for many of their most debilitating symptoms.
Dysautonomia is a well studied condition that is seen in all neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s, and it is present in the majority of people with MS. The symptoms caused by dysautonomia are often improperly attributed to MS. These symptoms include fatigue, inability to thermoregulate, impaired cognition (also known as “brain fog”), headaches upon awakening, and bladder and bowel problems. Often patients report that it is these autonomic symptoms, rather than neurologic or motor symptoms, that have the greatest impact on their quality of life.
Targeting dysautonomia for treatment is not part of modern neurology care. With treatment options for MS being very limited, addressing the associated dysautonomia offers an alternative means to reduce the symptoms experienced by a large portion of MS patients.
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