What is Progressive Multiple Sclerosis?

Progressive Multiple Sclerosis is one of the clinical categories for MS. Progressive Multiple Sclerosis patients have a continuous progression in disability. The disability may happen slowly and the patient may or may not have relapses. In secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis, a person’s disease usually becomes progressive after a period of relapsing-remitting MS. After five to twenty-five years, the majority of people with relapsing-remitting MS will develop secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis.

Primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis patients have slow developing disability right from the beginning of the disease. This type of MS usually appears in people who are in their forties. Primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis is the only type of MS which affects both woman and men the same.

People who have progressive Multiple Sclerosis will notice that they do not progress forever. After a certain amount of time, the disability progression usually plateaus and they have no significant increase in disability. People who have progressive Multiple Sclerosis are more likely to need a wheelchair and experience considerable neurological disability.

Unfortunately as of right now, there aren’t any treatments or therapies for primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Some people with secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis are prescribed treatments used in relapsing-remitting MS. Is it working? Only time will tell. There is hope for patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Up until about ten years ago the only help for MS patients was medications to treat their symptoms. The past decade has shown great promise through research and clinical studies. People with progressive Multiple Sclerosis must try to remain optimistic and hopeful that one day soon, scientists and researchers will find a cure for MS or perhaps develop a treatment for progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Each and every day is a challenge for people living with progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Not only is it challenging for the individual with MS but also for those who live with them and watch them struggle. Hope is the keyword when living with Multiple Sclerosis.