MS is an autoimmune disease with an unknown etiology, or "cause". It is believed that some type of environmental factor (a virus, maybe) can provoke the immune system to start creating antibodies against the myelin covering of the nerves and nerve tracts, thus the onset of MS. Brain plaques are places that experience destruction of the nerves’ coverings, or sheath. Most often during MS, the vision is affected in a condition that doctors have called "retro-bulbar neuritis" In fact, retro-bulbar neuritis is the most common manifestation of MS. Urinary incontinency is a rarely a manifestation of MS. Plaques during MS can be seen via CT-scan or MRI. Other than plagues, a person also experiences an increased amount of immunoglobulins in the cerebrospinal liquid. MS is mainly a progressive disease with incomplete remissions.

Meningitis, on the other hand, is an inflammation of the brain coverings. Viral meningitis is not so severe a disease as the bacterial variety. Viral meningitis is rarely accompanied with brain inflammation (meningoencephalitis).

Encephalitis is a severe acute inflammation of the brain or spinal cord (myelitis) caused by viruses or an allergic reaction to some types of infections. Viruses that can cause encephalitis could be: arbo-viruses, polio, ECHO, and rabies A so called "secondary post-infective encephalitis" also exists which is due to an allergic reaction to infections with other viruses such as measles, chickenpox, smallpox, influenza, mumps, or herpes simplex. Similar occurrences of encephalitis can occur after vaccination against smallpox or rabies. These types of encephalitis cause demyelinization (damaging the myelin nerves’ covering) that are also present during multiple sclerosis.

I had viral meningitis in 1998 which left me with cognitive challenges such as short term memory loss, concentration, retention etc. More recently I have struggled with some unexplainable symptoms that to me seem MS in nature. They include increased occurances of migrain episodes w/ no headache mostly visual anomolies, non-injury related stabbing pains in various areas. Extreme shoulder, arm and hand pain, hip pain, sudden vision changes, ringing in ears and more. Chiropractice, neurological, opthamological and general physical testing find no diagnosis, effective treatment or explanation. Where do I go, what kind of doctor do I look for in the yellow pages to check me out throughly for the possiblitiy of MS? My public health doctors seem not to care. Also how frequently is ms and meningitis connected either in causation or in co-occurance?

I was admitted to hospital with viral meningitis on Saturday April 4th 2009 since then i haven't been feeling right and have been back to hospital with similar symptoms, i have had a ct and mri scan and now i'm being told i might have MS, i have a irregular dark patch shown on a CT and a MRI Scan on the right side of my brain. I get terrible jaw ache and feel really weak if i do anything enegetic, i get strange aches and feelings in my muscles, severe back ache and dizzy spells, my eye pupils make strange movements my partner tells me although i havent noticed this. I often feel tense and on edge.
I await more neurological tests to find out my results.