Because of the difficulties associated with diagnosing MS many people will live with the disease for many years before they are diagnosed.
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system.
By its very nature this disease does not manifest itself in the same ways in any two patients.
There are over 50 known symptoms that can be indicative of MS, however many of these symptoms can also indicate a wide range of other diseases.
Diagnosing MS by the Symptoms While preliminary diagnosing of MS can be done based on the number and types of symptoms, it is not considered to be conclusive.
One of the reasons for this is that so many of these symptoms come and go seemingly at their own volition.
You might make an appointment to see your doctor because you are experiencing a symptom and by the time you get to see your doctor the symptoms has gone away.
Most doctors have a checklist of the symptoms that they can go by to make diagnosing MS a little easier.
It contains all of the most common symptoms along with many of the lesser known ones.
From this chart and the information you are able to provide him, your doctor will be able to make a preliminary diagnosis so that he can arrange for further testing to pinpoint the diagnosis and be sure that the problem is MS and not one of the many other diseases with similar symptoms.
Going Beyond the Basics when Diagnosing MS Once your doctor has made a tentative diagnosis, he is going to set you up with a specialist who can perform the necessary tests for diagnosing MS properly.
Currently there are no simple blood tests that can be used to diagnose multiple sclerosis; all of the tests are more involved and require the services of a trained specialist.
One of the most common ways of diagnosing MS is with magnetic resonance imaging or an MRI.
While this is a non invasive test it will take time and is usually done in your local hospital.
The MRI is used to detect and locate any of the lesions that are associated with multiple sclerosis.
According to test results an MRI is approximately 95% in diagnosing MS.
In 5% of patients there are no signs of lesions that are normally a result of MS giving what is known as a false negative test or may show age related damage that shows up as lesions and gives a false positive.
Your specialist may also recommend a spinal tap or cerebro spinal fluid (CSF) test as a way of conclusively diagnosing MS.
The more tests that can be performed the better your chances are of getting an accurate diagnosis so that you can begin the right treatments and therapies to help you cope with the disease.
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system.
By its very nature this disease does not manifest itself in the same ways in any two patients.
There are over 50 known symptoms that can be indicative of MS, however many of these symptoms can also indicate a wide range of other diseases.
Diagnosing MS by the Symptoms While preliminary diagnosing of MS can be done based on the number and types of symptoms, it is not considered to be conclusive.
One of the reasons for this is that so many of these symptoms come and go seemingly at their own volition.
You might make an appointment to see your doctor because you are experiencing a symptom and by the time you get to see your doctor the symptoms has gone away.
Most doctors have a checklist of the symptoms that they can go by to make diagnosing MS a little easier.
It contains all of the most common symptoms along with many of the lesser known ones.
From this chart and the information you are able to provide him, your doctor will be able to make a preliminary diagnosis so that he can arrange for further testing to pinpoint the diagnosis and be sure that the problem is MS and not one of the many other diseases with similar symptoms.
Going Beyond the Basics when Diagnosing MS Once your doctor has made a tentative diagnosis, he is going to set you up with a specialist who can perform the necessary tests for diagnosing MS properly.
Currently there are no simple blood tests that can be used to diagnose multiple sclerosis; all of the tests are more involved and require the services of a trained specialist.
One of the most common ways of diagnosing MS is with magnetic resonance imaging or an MRI.
While this is a non invasive test it will take time and is usually done in your local hospital.
The MRI is used to detect and locate any of the lesions that are associated with multiple sclerosis.
According to test results an MRI is approximately 95% in diagnosing MS.
In 5% of patients there are no signs of lesions that are normally a result of MS giving what is known as a false negative test or may show age related damage that shows up as lesions and gives a false positive.
Your specialist may also recommend a spinal tap or cerebro spinal fluid (CSF) test as a way of conclusively diagnosing MS.
The more tests that can be performed the better your chances are of getting an accurate diagnosis so that you can begin the right treatments and therapies to help you cope with the disease.