Multiple Sclerosis is generally broken down into five different
disease types. The categories are "relapse-remitting", "primary progressive", "secondary progressive", and "progressive-relapsing".
Agreement over what constitutes each of these, however, has been somewhat confused in the medical community. Because
of this, a proposal was published in the the medical journal Neurology in the spring of 1996. The proposal recommended
that the following terms and definitions be accepted as the new international standards for MS types:
RELAPSE-REMITTING
MS with clear relapses (also called acute attacks or exacerbations)
with either full recovery, or with partial recovery and lasting disability. Between attacks there is no progression
(or worsening) of the disease.
Frequency - approx 20%
PRIMARY PROGRESSIVE
MS with steady progression (or worsening) from onset, with only
occasional plateaus or minor recovery. This is a fairly uncommon disease course, and one that may involve different
brain and spinal cord damage than do other forms of MS.
Frequency - approx 10%
SECONDARY PROGRESSIVE
MS that begins with a pattern of clear-cut relapses and recovery
but becomes steadily progressive over time with continued worsening between acute attacks.
Frequency - approx 35 %
PROGRESSIVE-RELAPSING
A rare type of MS that is steadily progressive from onset but also
has clear acute attacks.
As these terms become widely accepted, individuals with MS will
have more confidence in talking with their doctors that they are discussing the same things and clinical trials of new treatments,
which are often restricted to one disease type, will be more accurate in targeting their specific type.
Informatin compliments of: http://www.msa-sea.org/
Frequency - approx 15%
Benign MS
After one or two attacks with complete recovery, this form of MS does not worsen with time and there is no permanent disability.
Benign MS can only be identified when there is minimal disability 10-15 years after onset and initially would have been categorised
as relapsing-remitting MS. Benign MS tends to be associated with less severe symptoms at onset (e.g. sensory).
