How to Recognize an MS Attack

Stuart SchlossmanMS Relapse

Most forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) involve stretches of time when you feel good and other times when your symptoms act up. You might hear those worse periods called:
  • Attacks
  • Relapses
  • Flare-ups
  • Episodes
  • Exacerbations
How do you know if what you’re having is one?

Signs of an MS Attack

During an attack, some symptoms you’ve had before may get worse, or you could have new ones.
These can include:
  • Fatigue
  • Dizziness
  • Problems with balance and coordination
  • Trouble with your vision
  • Issues with your bladder
  • Numb or tingling feelings (pins and needles)
  • Problems with your memory
  • Trouble concentrating
It’s a relapse if:
  • You’d been free of symptoms for at least 30 days before the ones you’re having now started
  • They last at least 24 hours
  • There’s no obvious trigger
Not every symptom is a sign of a relapse. If yours last less than 48 hours, you may have had something called a pseudoexacerbation. That’s when you temporarily feel symptoms.
Keep in mind that if you have even the slightest fever, it could be a sign of an infection. That also can cause problems like those you’d feel in a relapse.

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