Do infections make MS worse?
Many patients have a worsening of their MS symptoms during an infection. Common infections include bladder, upper respiratory (colds, sinus infection, pneumonia, flu), and GI tract (diarrhea, stomach flu). This worsening may be due to being generally sick from the infection, or it may be due to the increased symptoms that result from an increase in body temperature due to fever. It is very important to treat fevers quickly because of this. Pseudo-exacerbation is the name for mild worsening of MS symptoms linked with infections or fevers. Pseudo-exacerbations are usually not treated with steroids. About one in ten MS attacks are preceded by a viral infection. The symptoms of a true attack are usually more severe than those of a pseudo-exacerbation and they do not improve with treatment of the fever or infection. Most MS attacks are not preceded by a recognized viral infection and most viral infections do not lead to MS attacks.
