Corticosteroid therapy is prescribed for a client with multiple sclerosis. In response to the therapy, which symptom would the nurse expect to decrease?

• A. Emotional lability
• B. Muscular contractions
• C. Pain in the extremities
• D. Visual impairment

Answer: (D)

Corticosteroids in an acute MS relapse work by dampening CNS inflammation and reducing edema around demyelinating lesions. The optic nerve is a common site of relapse, so faster recovery of vision is a typical and expected result when inflammation subsides. Thus visual impairment is the symptom most likely to decrease with therapy. Other symptoms like emotional lability, spasticity, or extremity pain can fluctuate or improve with additional treatments, but they are not as directly and consistently affected by steroids as vision restoration during an optic neuritis episode.