Being diagnosed with MS is a very daunting and frightening time. It can be difficult to take in what your doctor is telling you, let alone understand all the different scientific words and acronyms. Don't hesitate to ask your doctor or nurse to explain what the different words mean – they don’t expect you to be an expert or to understand everything at first. It is also a good idea to try and learn more about MS when you are ready.
This list of definitions might
come in handy when you are
reading about MS.
- Ataxia – Inability to coordinate movements
involved in walking
- Atrophy – A decrease in the volume of brain or
muscle tissue
- Autoimmune disease – When the immune
system attacks parts of the body
- Axon – Thin nerve fibres that transmit signals between the nerves of the brain and spinal cord; the axons are protected by a covering known as myelin
- Bell’s Palsy – A cause of paralysis of the face which may involve twitching, weakness, a drooping eyelid or corner of the mouth, drooling, dry eye or mouth, excessive tearing in the eye, and impaired ability to taste
- Central nervous system (CNS) – Consists of the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord and is involved in sending and receiving messages throughout the body
- Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS) – A single attack, or the appearance of one or more symptoms of MS, which often leads to a diagnosis of MS
- Cognition – Mental processes such as memory, decision making and concentration
- Demyelination – Damage to the protective covering of the nerves (myelin) of the CNS which can cause an interruption in messages being sent to and from the CNS
- Dysarthria – Speech that is slurred or poorly articulated
- Dysesthesia – A type of pain that is experienced as burning, aching, or “pins and needles” under the skin
- Dysphagia – Difficulty swallowing
- Lesion – An abnormal spot on the brain or spinal cord that can be seen by a scan
- Lhermitte’s sign – An electric shock-like sensation down the spine and legs when the neck is flexed forward