People with multiple sclerosis suffer from a dramatically varied number of possible neurological issues. These can include muscle weakness, vision changes, clumsiness, loss of bladder control, and reduced or abnormal sensation (among many others). In order to diagnose multiple sclerosis, doctors generally look for the most typical symptoms, such as altered eye movements and abnormal pupil response; changes in speech patterns; impaired reflexes and coordination; and spasticity or weakness in the legs and arms.
Multiple sclerosis is a difficult disease to diagnose. There is no single test for the disorder, and a diagnosis cannot be made until there is evidence of two separate episodes of disease activity in the central nervous system. This means that diagnosing multiple sclerosis is often an agonizingly slow process.
