Female holding, day 49. Should I be worried? (2024)

FAQs

What are the symptoms of multiple sclerosis in females? ›

See a GP if:

you have night sweats regularly that wake you up or worry you. you also have a very high temperature (or feel hot and shivery), a cough or diarrhoea. you have night sweats and you're losing weight for no reason.

Muscle stiffness or spasms. Severe weakness or paralysis, typically in the legs.

Aside from serious infections, like endocarditis, night sweats may be caused by rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune disorders, heart disease, hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid), obesity, and some cancers, such as prostate cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia.

"In the CIS phase, individuals may experience their first notable MS symptoms, such as optic neuritis or vision loss, or sensory changes like numbness, or weakness possibly affecting only one side of the body or from the chest or waist down," Dr. Alchaki says.

Some conditions that doctors may commonly misdiagnose as MS include migraine, RIS, spondylopathy, and neuropathy. To accurately diagnose MS, doctors must rule out conditions with similar symptoms and look for signs and symptoms specific to MS.

Changes in hormones due to other conditions, like pregnancy or a thyroid disorder, may also cause night sweats. Medical issues: A variety of disorders can have night sweats as a symptom, including types of cancer, spinal cord injury, chronic fatigue syndrome, and mercury poisoning.

In other cases, the cause may be thyroid or liver disease, or a sleep disorder like obstructive sleep apnea. Night sweats can also be a symptom of a serious health issue like lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects lymph nodes, bone marrow and other parts of the lymphatic system.

Contact your doctor if: You suddenly begin to sweat more than usual. Sweating disrupts your daily routine. You experience night sweats for no apparent reason.

The hot bath test involved lying in a bath of warm water. If this caused or worsened neurological symptoms, it was taken as evidence that the person had multiple sclerosis. This test has not been used for many years. The hot bath test reflects the effect of heat that many people with MS notice.

How can I check myself for MS? ›

There's no way to test yourself for MS, which is difficult even for doctors to diagnose. See a doctor if you have symptoms such as: An overwhelming feeling of tiredness. Vision problems like blurriness or double vision.

A walking test is one technique doctors use to gauge MS progression and disability. This can include walking for a certain distance or time or a 12-item walking questionnaire. The results of these tests also help doctors assess the effectiveness of therapy.

A sudden feeling of warmth spreading through your chest, neck and face. A flushed appearance with red, blotchy skin. Rapid heartbeat. Perspiration, mostly on your upper body.

Schedule a visit with your healthcare provider if you're regularly experiencing night sweats that disrupt your sleep or if you're experiencing night sweats alongside other symptoms. If you're close to age 50 and you're waking with cold sweats — menopause is likely the cause.

B vitamins may also help with insomnia and possibly even reduce hot flashes. They are also important for cognitive functions. Recommended daily intake: For B6, 1.3 mg for women age 50 and younger and 1.5 mg for those 51 and older. For B12, 2.4 mcg for all adults.

MS can appear at any age but most commonly manifests between the ages of 20 and 40. It affects women two to three times as often as men. Almost one million people in the United States have MS, making it one of the most common causes of neurological disability among young adults in North America.

Women with MS had a median life expectancy of 77.2 years, compared with 84.6 years among women in the general population (figure 1E). From onset, women with MS had a median life span of 42.6 years compared with 55.6 years for women in the general population (figure 1F).

While the cause of MS is still unknown, the latest research indicates that the disease may develop when specific genetic mutations are set off by environmental factors. “It's not a case of bad genes or bad environment,” Dr. Hafler says. “It's a bad interaction between genes and environment.”