How is MS diagnosed?

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease and diagnosis is not always straightforward. While for some, a diagnosis can be made in a few quick steps, others can wait for a long period of further testing from the time of their first symptoms until they are officially diagnosed. This article outlines the challenges of diagnosing MS.

If it’s not MS, what could it be?

Misdiagnosis

recent study published in the Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders journal suggests that up to 25% of people with a diagnosis of MS might be incorrectly diagnosed, highlighting the challenges faced by doctors when it comes to diagnosing MS.

In addition, some genetic disorders, copper or B12 vitamin deficiency, structural abnormalities, and other demyelinating diseases can cause neurologic symptoms that can look like MS. Some of these alternative diagnoses are easy to rule out with other medical tests, while others may require a series of additional tests or a watch-and-wait approach.

Further complicating the process of diagnosis of MS, is that there are also different types of MS. They are named according to the way the disease acts on the body over time. Traditionally these have been broken down into relapsing remitting MS, secondary progressive MS and primary progressive MS.

1

RRMS is the most common form, with about 85% of people with MS initially diagnosed with RRMS. It is characterised by temporary periods called relapses, when flare-ups or new symptoms appear, followed by periods of recovery and remission.

2

SPMS can later develop in some people who have initially had RRMS. In SPMS, symptoms or disability gradually worsen over time, with or without the occurrence of relapses.

3

About 10 to 15% of people diagnosed with MS receive a diagnosis of PPMS. PPMS is characterised by slowly worsening symptoms from the beginning, with few or no relapses or remissions.

Research to improve diagnosis

A diagnosis of MS is most secure if there is more than one kind of evidence, currently that includes combining clinical tests, MRI scans and lumbar punctures. Unless all of these signs are very clearly pointing to a classical diagnosis of MS, doctors may hold off on making a diagnosis until further tests or follow-up brain scans can provide more evidence. Misdiagnosing MS could put patients at risk from the side-effects of MS drugs unnecessarily, not to mention the worry and stress that can come with a diagnosis of a chronic illness. Clinicians still need to use their judgement, particularly when diagnosing MS in children or population groups where MS is less common.

Globally, there are continuing research efforts to help clinicians arrive at a diagnosis of MS as quickly and accurately as possible. MRI scanning and analysis techniques are constantly being improved. But the Holy Grail is a blood test that could swiftly confirm a diagnosis of MS. To date, while many markers in the blood have been examined and some have shown promise, there is no single blood test that can confirm MS.

In addition to the research mentioned above, other Australian researchers with early funding support from MS Research Australia, have developed a blood test that can distinguish between the different types of MS (relapsing or progressive). However, the markers used in the blood test might also be present in other types of neurological diseases, and it will still need to be combined with other tests such as MRI to confirm a diagnosis of MS. Further research is needed in this area to see if it can be used in the clinic to identify the type of MS.

More research is ongoing, which we hope will ultimately lead to a world in which MS can be identified quickly and easily, leading to its optimal treatment and management, minimising the impact of MS for everyone.

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How is MS diagnosed?