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Cognitive Impairment in MS

Because Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a condition that progressively damages any part of the brain and spinal cord (the Central Nervous System), the symptoms can be varied.  The most common symptoms include visual loss, being off balance, limb weakness or numbness, and bowel and bladder changes. Any one of these symptoms alone can be the reflection of any number of diseases.

 

And, although it is not often associated with MS, another very common symptom of MS is cognitive impairment, affecting 40-65% of MS patients. In MS it is often called “brain fog”. Brain fog can be a significant albeit, an often unidentified cause of disability. The change is thought to be a more rapid loss of brain tissue (atrophy) and disruption of the connections in the brain than one experiences in normal aging. Further, the damage from repeated lesions during flares uses up the reserve tissue that is the brains “back up” system.

 

The most common signs of cognitive impairment in MS are.

  1. Difficulty with short or long-term memory, such as forgetting names, getting lost driving familiar routes and even difficulty spelling.
  2.  Decreased attention and easy distractibility.
  3. Difficulty processing information, resulting in slower responses.
  4. Difficulty with problem-solving or following conversations.  Multi-tasking is more difficult.
  5. Impaired visual-spatial abilities, such as depth perception or right-left confusion.
  6. Difficulty speaking fluently or finding the right word.

 

Obviously these symptoms are very similar to cognitive impairment due to other neurologic conditions and can present years before or long after the diagnosis of MS is made. The important take-home message is to determine if you actually have cognitive impairment when you first suspect it.  If it is confirmed, then you will have a better chance of preserving your cognition with a correct diagnosis and initiation of medications that can address your condition.

BeCareLink can help with the cognitive screening on both the BeCare Neuro and BeCare MS apps to help you detect a cognitive issue early and to monitor your progress if a treatment is started.

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