Can we get rid of our multiple sclerosis symptoms permanently or do they always come back?

Question:
Can we get rid of all our symptoms permanently or they always come back? During a UTI do our symptoms intensity for MS?

Answer:
What a great question! Let's think about what causes MS symptoms to help you understand the answer better.  Broadly speaking symptoms occur either as part of the disease process or the reaction of your nervous system to the disease process.

The disease process:

1. Symptoms related to the disease process depend on the stage  of the disease and include relapses earlier in the disease and progressive demyelination and axonal loss from ongoing neurodegeneration later in the disease. These symptoms tend to involve loss of function or negative symptoms including loss of muscle function (weakness), vision, sensation, balance, dexterity and cognition. Following a relapse people with MS naturally recover although it is common to experience residual symptoms that fluctuate over time. Generally speaking, full recovery takes 6-12 months and it is unusual to see recovery beyond 12 months except in younger individuals.
   
   

The response to the disease process:

1. Symptoms that emerge as a response to the disease process can occur associated with relapses or disease progression or, more commonly, without any features of active disease. These symptoms tend to involve gain of function or positive symptoms (although not positive in the sense that anyone would want to experience them) and are some of the most annoying problems that people with MS deal with on a day to day basis. These symptoms include pins and needles sensation, neuropathic pain (burning or freeze/burn sensations, electric shock like sensations, MS hug or a tight band like sensation), neuralgia (trigeminal neuralgia), muscle spasms and cramps, muscle twitching, tonic spasms, Uthoff's phenomenon and seizures.  Many people feel that symptoms such as fatigue fall into this category as well. These symptoms tend to be more pervasive, but fluctuate significantly over time, often associated with changes in temperature, and often require ongoing symptomatic management. And yes a UTI can bring out these symptoms.

Revere P (Rip) Kinkel, MDProfessor of Clinical Neurosciences
Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Program
Clinical Neurosciences Director
University of California San Diego