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Benign MS

Some people are told they have benign MS.

The term benign MS is sometimes used to describe a version of relapsing remitting MS with very mild or no attacks separated by long periods with no symptoms.

'Benign' means 'something doesn't cause any harm'. You can only really say you have benign MS after you've gone 15 years or so without many symptoms and you've got little or no disability.

What does a diagnosis of benign MS mean?

A diagnosis of benign MS doesn't guarantee you'll be free of symptoms.

You might still get things like fatigue or problems with your memory or thinking.

MRI scans can still show MS is damaging your brain and spinal cord even if yours seems mild.

After many years of your MS appearing to be 'benign' it's possible you might have a relapse.

The term isn't recommended as it can only describe your past experience of MS, not whether you might relapse in the future.