Pain and Disability in People with Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the myelin of the central nervous system and affects approximately 1,000,000 individuals in the USA. MS is the most common nontraumatic disabling disease among adults. Various symptoms can manifest during the disease owing to the multiple sites of neurologic damage throughout the central nervous system (CNS). Pain is common in MS, being reported as one of the most bothersome symptoms during the course of the disease. Pain in MS may vary in etiology, and it can manifest in varied fashion and intensity. Pain has a positive correlation with lower quality of life, higher disability, and longer disease duration in MS. In this entry, our aim is to provide a detailed explanation of the characteristics of pain in the MS population by conducting a narrative review of the literature and exploring potential research gaps.