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Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology pp 2977–2983Cite as

Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

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Synonyms

Exacerbating-remitting multiple sclerosis

Short Description or Definition

Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) describes the initial course of approximately 85% of patients diagnosed with MS. There are discrete episodes (aka “relapses,” “attacks,” “flare-ups,” or “exacerbations”) of neurologic dysfunction lasting at least 24 h followed by full or partial recovery and a period in which there is no symptom progression or accumulation of disability (aka “remission”; see Fig. 1). Across individuals with RRMS, there is a great deal of variability in the time between relapses and in the severity of relapse symptoms. Recovery from relapses may be incomplete, and thus a certain amount of residual neurologic dysfunction may persist (see Fig. 2). When symptoms progress outside relapse periods, the person is considered to have entered the secondary progressive stage of the disease.

Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis, Fig. 1
figure 184 figure 184

Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Discrete...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA

    Kathleen L. Fuchs

  2. Research Department, Kessler Foundation, West Orange, NJ, USA

    John DeLuca

Authors
  1. Kathleen L. Fuchs
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  2. John DeLuca
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Correspondence to Kathleen L. Fuchs .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Jeffrey S. Kreutzer

  2. Kessler Foundation, Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ, USA

    John DeLuca

  3. Independent Practice, Wynnewood, PA, USA

    Bruce Caplan

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Fuchs, K.L., DeLuca, J. (2018). Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_518

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