Multiple Sclerosis symptoms as Abbey Clancy mistakes tight jeans for warning signs
Abbey Clancy has shared how a scary health experience left her in tears, after she grew concerned she could be living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
The 37-year-old model revealed she got a patch of numbness at her groin and feared she was going to be diagnosed with MS, a condition affecting the brain and spinal cord, which can cause problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance.
When she started to feel the numbness in her lower body, she googled her symptoms and grew worried when it seemed to suggest MS, however it turned out to be something quite different.
Speaking on Jamie Laing and Sophie Haboo's podcast NewlyWeds with her husband Peter Crouch's NewlyWeds podcast, she explained: "It’s when I had these jeans on, they were so tight they would stop the blood where I was sitting down.
"But googling it, it was MS."
With Clancy in tears about her possible diagnosis, the doctor instead revealed she may have a mental health issue regarding her health fears.
"I'd been holding [the worry] in so much that when I got to the doctor, I went hysterical and couldn't stop crying." Luckily, doctors confirmed she didn't have MS but was likely dealing with health anxiety (hypochondria)."
Crouch also spoke of his wife's health concerns: "Health anxiety is a thing, she has got an issue with that, I'd like Abs to worry less. It feels like she takes on everyone's problems, It's a nice thing but it takes its toll."
While it may seem extreme that Abbey Clancy attributed her symptoms to MS, in fact the condition can be difficult to diagnose, with research revealing that up to one in five people may have a misdiagnosis.
Scientists concluded that these people likely had conditions with symptoms similar to those of MS, with the most common misdiagnoses being migraines (16%), radiologically isolated syndrome (9%), spondylopathy (7%) and neuropathy (7%).
What is multiple sclerosis?
MS is a lifelong autoimmune condition that affects the brain and the spinal cord, causing a wide range of symptoms that vary from person to person.
Depending on the severity, MS can be debilitating, leading to problems with vision, balance and movement.
The MS Society estimates there are over 130,000 people with MS in the UK, and that nearly 7,000 people are newly diagnosed each year.
While it is most commonly diagnosed in people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, it can develop at any age and is more common in women than men.
As well as Christina Applegate, who has openly discussed her experiences with MS, other celebrities living with the condition include Jack Osbourne, diagnosed in 2012, and Selma Blair, diagnosed in 2018.
Symptoms of MS
The symptoms of MS vary widely for each person and can affect any part of the body.
The main symptoms include:
fatigue
difficulty walking
vision problems, such as blurred vision
problems controlling the bladder
numbness or tingling in different parts of the body
muscle stiffness and spasms
problems with balance and co-ordination
problems with thinking, learning and planning
If you're worried you might have signs of MS, you should see your GP.
Remember, however, that your symptoms could have many other possible causes, so they're not necessarily a sign of MS.
If your doctor suspects you could have MS, you'll be referred to a specialist in conditions of the nervous system (a neurologist).
Treatment of MS
While there is no cure for the condition, there is help out there. MS can be treated and managed with various treatments, which may include:
treating relapses with short courses of steroid medicine to speed up recovery
specific treatments for individual MS symptoms
treatment to reduce the number of relapses using medicines called disease-modifying therapies
For more help and information
There are two main MS charities in the UK, which are on hand to offer support and advice.
You can reach the MS Society on 0808 800 800 and MS Trust on 0800 032 38 39.
There's also Shift.ms, an online community for younger people affected by MS.
For more information on the condition, see the NHS website.
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