Can dementia be connected to Multiple Sclerosis sufferers?

Senile dementia symptoms in the early stages are different from the symptoms of extreme cases of dementia. Early Symptoms of Senile Dementia are : Memory Loss, Insomnia, Poor balance and disorientation, Poor physical co-ordination, Apathy, Fatigue, Anxiety, Slight confusion, social withdrawal, Loss of initiative.

Anon,

Multiple sclerosis can affect the brain, the eyes and the spinal cord, since it attacks the myelin and injures the nerve sheaths in those parts of the body. Dementia can be a late symptom.

Here's what the Merck Manual online says about symptoms of multiple sclerosis. It addresses dementia near the end:

Vague symptoms of demyelination in the brain sometimes begin long before the disorder is diagnosed. For example, tingling, numbness, pain, burning, and itching may occur in the arms, legs, trunk, or face. The sense of touch may be reduced. People may lose strength or dexterity in a leg or hand, which may become stiff.

Vision may become dim or blurred. Mainly, people lose the ability to see when looking straight ahead (central vision). Peripheral (side) vision is less affected. In some people, one eye becomes weaker than the other, causing double vision when looking from one side to the other. This disorder is called internuclear ophthalmoplegia. The stronger eye may move involuntarily, rapidly and repetitively moving in one direction, then slowly drifting back (a symptom called nystagmus). Partial blindness may develop in one eye, and pain occurs when the eye is moved. These symptoms result from inflammation of the optic nerve (optic neuritis). Some people with multiple sclerosis have only optic neuritis.

When the back part of the spinal cord in the neck is affected, bending the neck forward may cause an electrical shock or a tingling sensation that shoots down the back, down both legs, down one arm, or down one side of the body (a response called Lhermitte's sign). Usually, the sensation lasts only a moment and disappears when the neck is straightened. Often, it is felt as long as the neck remains bent.

As the disorder progresses, movements may become shaky, irregular, and ineffective. People may become partially or completely paralyzed. Weak muscles may contract involuntarily (called spasticity), sometimes causing painful cramps. Muscle weakness and spasticity may interfere with walking, eventually making it impossible, even with a walker or another assistive device. Speech may become slow, slurred, and hesitant.

Late in the disorder, dementia and mania (excessive elation) may develop. The nerves that control urination or bowel movements can be affected, leading to frequent and strong urges to urinate, retention of urine, constipation, and, occasionally, urinary and fecal incontinence. If relapses become more frequent, people become increasingly disabled, sometimes permanently.

Here's that page, if you'd like to read more:

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec06/ch092/ch092b.html

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