Types Of Multiple Sclerosis
The benign type
Multiple sclerosis has a benign type which means that the disease has a slight severity and course. However, calling a case of MS or multiple sclerosis benign is very much misleading because overtime, this disease becomes as disabling as it could get. In fact, in the twenty percent who are given an initial diagnosis of benign MS, only five percent end up actually having the benign type.
The person with the benign type of MS can expect minor or no progression at all after the first attack. Their functions are retained except for short term memory disturbances, cognitive dysfunction and some clear evidence of spinal cord or brain atrophy, which can all be identified via an MRI scan.
The relapsing remitting type
This type of MS, the relapsing remitting type, is actually the most common among all of the types of this particular disease. But its name, relapsing remitting can be also very misleading.
It is during this type that those who have MS experience attacks, otherwise called as exacerbations that are followed with either a complete or a partial remission. This is the part that its classification is misleading.
Multiple sclerotic people oftentimes assume that this remission phase means they have fully recovered. This can be true in some special cases, especially during the first phases of the disorder, but in most cases, this remission is actually just a partial one. Do not be misled by this classifications name because what are usually left are permanent residual MS-related symptoms.
The secondary progressive type
This type starts with the relapsing remitting type which usually persists for several years. After that timeframe, it is time for the secondary progressive type to show what it is made of.
It is a chronic and progressive form of the disease that usually occurs in the diseases second stages. Unlike the relapsing remitting type, there are no true periods of remission, but only some breaks in the duration of attacks that has absolutely no recovery from the symptoms. Although there could be some minor relief for a couple of symptoms, recovery is never attained.
The primary progressive type
This type is very common in the male population. It is when the person with MS gradually experiences a clinical decline and has no true durations of remission. However, there could be a temporary time where the disorder seems to plateau or level out, including a partial but minor relief from a few symptoms. But still, the whole course of this type continuously declines starting from the diseases outset.
The progressive relapsing type
This type is a rare form of MS. What happens here is that the disease has a progressive form that starts from its outset with a series of acute attacks that has no relief from the obtained symptoms. Unlike the primary progressive type, this type has no tendency to plateau.
The malignant type
Aside from being called malignant, this type is also referred to as Marburg variant. It has an aggressive phase. It is a fortunate thing that this type is a very rare type because it is very aggressive. It has a quick and relentless decline to a very significant impairment, or even death. This type usually occurs after several weeks of the onset of the first attack.
The chronic progressive
This type is indefinite of MS. However, this term is also associated with a collective diagnosis of progressive relapsing, primary progressive and secondary progressive.