Diagnosis

A diagnosis of MS is made through a combination of a neurological evaluation, MRI and spinal tap to check for abnormal proteins in the fluid surrounding the spinal cord. Because a person may present with a number of symptoms that may mimic other illnesses, it is often necessary to perform a number of tests to rule out other diseases.

"MRI has improved the diagnosis of MS and has made it possible to diagnose the disease earlier in the disease process," says Pierre Fayad, M.D., neurologist with The Nebraska Medical Center. An MRI image can show areas of active inflammation -- which indicate early signs of MS, and the location and size of lesions and plaques -- which can signify permanent damage.

Based on new information for diagnosing MS, new guidelines were proposed in 2001 to enable MS to be diagnosed even earlier based on evidence of certain lesions. "These new guidelines are much more sensitive in identifying people who are at risk for developing clinically definite MS," says Dr. Fayad "In fact, 50 to 80 percent of people with initial symptoms have MRI evidence of the disease."

"That's why it is so important to get patients to an MS clinic like ours so that we can get them diagnosed and started on an individual treatment plan," says Dr. Fayad. "Today, patients with MS are living a much better quality of life, but they must be followed on a continual basis so that adjustments in their therapy can be made with the changes in their condition."