MS relapses continue to be one of the most notorious conundrums within the MS space and community today, which is one reason why the MSAA has made MS Relapse Management one of the MS Awareness Month activities this March. Many individuals living with MS question their symptoms and if they relate to relapses or not on a daily basis, no matter how long they’ve been diagnosed, because this issue remains a head-scratcher to those affected. This occurs because MS relapses can be difficult to diagnose, they’re unique to each person (like many other factors with MS), and they can sometimes be pseudoexacerbations and different from a “true” relapse. Several issues can influence whether or not a true relapse is occurring, these include other illnesses or infection, heat, stress, fever, and exercise. So how do you determine what is a relapse vs. a pseudoexacerbation vs. something else? This is a question that concerns many from day to day.

For a relapse to be considered there has to be certain signs and evidence pointing to it without other factors involved like those mentioned above. Symptoms may present as a worsening or recurrence of existing symptoms and/or new symptoms and need to be present for at least 24-48 hours. This is hard for individuals to distinguish sometimes, especially if it’s a symptom they’ve had before but maybe not recently, if they’re not sure that it’s an actual symptom issue, or if it’s a symptom related to MS at all. Another question that comes up often is how long do relapse symptoms last? The length of time can vary from days to months, again making it hard to know the exact ins and outs of relapses and all they entail. These are the type of great, valid questions to ask the doctor when and if the opportunity presents itself because it’s something many face and are unsure about.

Talking to others living with MS can also help to validate some of these questions and concerns too, to gain feedback and perspective from those dealing with the same types of issues. My MSAA Community, MSAA’s online peer support forum where those affected by MS connect with their peers, is one platform that can be used for this outreach. Additional information about MS relapse management can also be found through the MSAA’s online MS Relapse Resource Center and MS Relapse Toolkit publication.

To continue the conversation about MS relapses during MS Awareness Month, MSAA will be hosting a live “Ask Me Anything” event with Annette Okai, MD, today, March 12, 2018 from 6:00 – 7:00 pm Eastern on My MSAA Community. And on Tuesday, March 13, 2018 from 8:00 – 9:00 pm Eastern the MSAA will be hosting a free Live Webinar “Helpful Tools for MS Relapse Management”  featuring Elizabeth Crabtree-Hartman, MD. Be sure to join in!