Charlotte Wright, a 19‑year‑old from Bolton, began experiencing brain fog, facial numbness and night‑time seizures in early 2022, but her symptoms were initially dismissed as anxiety. After her mother used an NHS online symptom checker, scans confirmed relapsing‑remitting multiple sclerosis, leaving Charlotte wheelchair‑bound and feeling trapped at home.

UK MS cases double to 190,000 by 2020

Research shows the number of people living with multiple sclerosis in the United Kingdom climbed from under 100,000 in 2000 to 190,000 in 2020, a near‑doubling in two decades.. The same data indicate an annual growth rate of about six percent, suggesting the disease is becoming increasingly prevalent across the population.

Charlotte Wright’s three‑year diagnostic odyssey

For three years Charlotte’s erratic symptoms – including vertigo, muscle stiffness and loss of consciousness during seizures – were attributed to panic attacks, and she was prescribed antidepressants. It was only after her mother Diane entered her details into the NHS symptom checker that a possible stroke was flagged, prompting hospital scans that revealed MS lesions in her brain and spinal cord.

Relapsing‑remitting MS now the most common form

The scans confirmed Charlotte has relapsing‑remitting multiple sclerosis, the disease’s most frequent subtype,which is characterized by flare‑ups followed by periods of partial or full recovery. According to the source, this form accounts for the majority of new diagnoses and often presents with vision problems, muscle weakness, fatigue and, in rarer cases, nighttime seizures.

Who is missing from the diagnostic picture?

While the report notes that experts are alarmed by rising diagnoses among younger people,it does not identify which healthcare providers or specialist services are failing to recognise early MS signs. It also leaves unanswered whether the NHS symptom checker’s stroke alert contributed to faster referrals for other patients.