This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Recently I read few posts suggesting that people with MS are less susceptible to regular colds. The hypothesis was that a hyper-active immune system associated with MS is protective against regular colds. Is this a myth or a fact? Some of these messages further suggested that the return of cold symptoms (after long periods without colds) are indicative of a successful treatment (ABCR). I would be interested to hear personal opinions or any information of the subject.

I dont know about the scientific thnought on this, but i know for myself, that a cold/flu acts as a trigger for a relapse (the only real trigger that i can say i know of). So if anything, i would guess that my immune system reacting to a cold/flu gets put into overdrive (and starts attacking me), not the other way around.

Although, I got a cold/flu not long after i started rebif, and it ended with my worst relapse. I am now off of rebif.

Also, prednisone is used to minimise the severity of some peoples relapses. From what i understand, it minimises damage caused by inflamation, but if it was simply an immune attack then it should logically stop the disease better than CRAB's. But it has been proven not to assist in the long term.

How long after the cold/flu do you get a relapse? By relapse I mean new signs. I have been told by my neurologist that a cold/flu may increase (in intensity) existing signs but not produce new signs. I was interested by comments that people with MS rarely get colds/flu; perhaps these are inaccurate comments.

funnily enough (although i am not laughing...) I just had a small cold/flu. I woke with a sore throat and runny nose last saturday. By the following thursday, the cold symptoms were pretty much gone. On the thursday (but more definitely on the friday, ie 6 days from first flu symptoms) I felt like i was having a relapse. I took a single shot of 75mg prednisone, and it seems to have stoped it in its tracks. And from memory, i usually would have a cold for a week, be on antibiotics for that week, then hit it with 1 week of prednisone to minimise the ensuing relapse. So 6-7days seems about normal for me.

As for only existing symproms appearing after a cold/flu, i would be pretty sure that new symproms have appeared for me after some cold / flu's. The reasoning being that I can only remembver having flare ups after a cold/flu, and so this would be the time a new symptom would appear for the first time. Its hard to say what is a new symptom, when i have most symptoms of ms to some (minor) extent. But, the previous major relapse definitely incured new symptoms, and occured during the cold/flu which lasted more than a week.