brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Patterns of multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis may progress and regress unpredictably. However, there are several typical patterns of symptoms: Relapsing-remitting pattern:Relapses (when symptoms worsen) alternate with remissions (when symptoms lessen or do not worsen). Remissions may last months or years. Relapses can occur spontaneously or can be triggered by an infection such as influenza. Primary progressive pattern:The disease progresses gradually with no remissions or obvious relapses, although there may be temporary plateaus during which the disease does not progress. Secondary progressive pattern:This pattern begins with relapses alternating with remissions (the relapsing-remission pattern), followed by gradual progression of the disease. Progressive relapsing pattern:The disease progresses gradually, but progression is interrupted by sudden relapses. This pattern is rare. On average, without treatment, people have about one relapse every 2 years, but frequency varies greatly. 