Multiple Sclerosis Flashcards
What is multiple sclerosis (MS)?
Inflammatory plaques of demyelination in the CNS disseminated in space and time
What is the cause of MS? (2)
- Genetic factors
- Environmental factors
What are the symptoms of MS? (6)
- Weakness
- Numbness/ burning/ prickling in hands, legs etc
- Double vision, pain on eye movement
- Fatigue
- Vertigo
- Bladder and sexual dysfunction
What are the signs of MS? (4)
- Optic neuritis
- Paresthesia
- Spasticity (UMN)
- Lhermitte’s sign (electric shock down the spine on neck flexion)
What can worsen the symptoms of MS?
Heat eg hot bath, exercise
What are the investigations for MS? (4)
- Clinical investigations by a consultant neurologist
- Exclude alternative diagnoses
- MRI: sensitive but not specific for plaque detection
- CSF: oligoclonal bands of IgG on electrophoresis
What are the treatments for MS? (4)
- Lifestyle advice: regular exercise, stopping smoking, avoiding stress
- DMDs: interferon-beta; dimethyl fumarate; natalizumab
What is the treatment for relapses in MS?
Methylprednisolone
What are the treatments to control spasticity in MS? (2)
Gabapentin
Baclofen
What is the treatment to control tremor in MS?
Botulinum toxin
What are the treatments to control urgency/ frequency in MS? (2)
- Self-catheterisation
- Tolterodine
What are the treatments to control fatigue in MS?
- Amantadine
- CBT
What is the common presentation of multiple sclerosis?
The waxing and waning of symptoms
Heat (eg hot bath, EXERCISE) can exacerbate the symptoms of which condition?
Multiple Sclerosis
What are the clinical features of a UMN lesion? (6)
- Hypertonia
- Hyperreflexia
- +ve Babinski sign
- Spastic weakness
- Minimal muscle atrophy
- Emotional lability
