Multiple sclerosis

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Oct, 2007

Multiple sclerosis, a neurodegenerative autoimmune disease in which the fatty covering of nerves becomes increasingly damaged, can manifest itself in many ways. "MS is like a chameleon--its signs and symptoms are so varied that it should be part of each clinician's differential diagnosis," says neurologist Anjali N.

Shah of the Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Center, Dallas. Some common symptoms include blurred or painful vision, numbness, tingling, burning in the arms or legs, fatigue, double vision, bowel or bladder dysfunction, and cognitive deficits. An estimated 350,000 people in the U.S. currently are diagnosed with MS. It is more common in women than men, appears more frequently in whites than in Hispanics or African-Americans, and is relatively rare among most Asians.