diagnosis

Over the past decade, diagnoses of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Finland have become faster and treatments now follow the latest evidence, with about five times as many patients receiving high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) as first-line options, a study finds. Drawing on registry data, researchers found that diagnoses are…

In the five years leading up to a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, children and adolescents often experience obesity and symptoms such as sensory disturbances and vision problems — potential early signs of MS that could help in diagnosing the condition, according to a new study. Indeed, the study reports…

A revised version of the McDonald criteria, a set of guidelines used to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS), is expected to include additional features that will help doctors make an accurate diagnosis at an earlier stage of the disease, even if patients have yet to manifest clinical symptoms. The…

Identity development is a deeply unique process in which people establish a clear sense of self. Different stages occur during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The process of developing an identity has always fascinated me because there are many different factors that influence us and shape who we become.

A patient advocate shares how sudden vision loss in high school led to an unexpected MS diagnosis, profoundly shaping their resilience and deepening their commitment to supporting and guiding others through similar challenges.

Before I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis at age 17, I was just a young adolescent eager to attend college but uncertain about my path. However, after my diagnosis, which happened during my senior year of high school, just a couple months before college applications were due,…

Using machine learning to analyze eye scans can help detect slight changes that may be early signs of multiple sclerosis (MS), potentially aiding in early diagnosis of the disease, a study found. The study, “SLO-Net: Enhancing Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis Beyond Optical Coherence Tomography Using Infrared Reflectance…

Levels of the immune cell protein CHIT1 at diagnosis, taken from the spinal fluid via a spinal tap, may strongly predict how fast disability progression will occur in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study suggests. Compared with standard clinical measures used to predict disease progression — such…

Can Do Multiple Sclerosis is putting together a two-day program to help newly or recently diagnosed patients and their caregivers learn more about multiple sclerosis (MS), meet others with the disease, and find strategies to adapt to a new lifestyle. Called Take Charge, the free program will…

A panel of 20 proteins in blood may be used to quantify disease activity, namely relapses and lesions, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new paper proposes. “A multi-protein panel like the one developed in this study has the capability to capture the state of a patient’s MS…

Dear younger self, As I sit down to write this letter, I can’t help but tear up at the thought of you. First and foremost, you’re an amazing soul, full of life and with a bright future ahead of you. But you’ve just received life-changing news, and it feels…

Siemens Healthineers has received the CE mark in Europe for a lab-based blood test that measures the levels of neurofilament light chain, known as NfL — a protein that gets released into the bloodstream upon damage to nerve cells — in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis…

MS Australia released a report highlighting the critical need for faster multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnoses. While diagnostic delays have shortened in recent years, MS patients still wait an average of almost four years from the onset of first symptoms to a formal diagnosis, the organization said in…

The focus is on diagnosis for this year’s World MS Day, officially “a day of global solidarity, collective action, and hope” for the multiple sclerosis (MS) community, according to a campaign webpage boasting information in more than 100 languages. While the event officially occurs on May 30,…

Certain biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) — the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord — around the time of a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis may help predict the time to reaching certain disability milestones among people with a relapsing-remitting (RRMS) disease course, according to findings from…

A new machine learning model is able to predict the risk of converting from clinically isolated syndrome, or a first event of multiple sclerosis (MS)-like symptoms, to clinically definite disease, a study found. “Our study developed a machine-learning model that not only provides a numerical estimate of the…

Researchers have identified a distinct profile of self-reactive antibodies that appear in the blood years before the first clinical signs of multiple sclerosis (MS), which they believe could be used to help diagnose the neurodegenerative disease. The antibodies were found in about 10% of people who developed MS and…

Training to become a U.S. Army Special Forces medic included all the things you might expect, as well as some you might not. Although trauma was our primary focus, we also had to be well versed in routine medicine and have a working knowledge of other aspects of healthcare.

High blood levels of the nerve damage biomarker neurofilament light chain (NfL) significantly increased the risk of people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) converting to definite multiple sclerosis (MS), according to an analysis of clinical trial data. CIS patients with higher NfL levels also made the transition earlier…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients diagnosed in more recent years — specifically after 2017 — were more likely to start sooner on a first MS disease-modifying therapy (DMT) than were those diagnosed between 2014 and 2016, an analysis of data from three large MS registries found. However, starting with…

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to diagnose and monitor the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). We patients can expect to have regular MRIs, although the frequency will depend on our age and disease stability. It’s important that we be comfortable during the procedure, as it…

It took years for Gregory Sonn to receive an MS diagnosis. He first noticed symptoms while traveling in his 20s. (Photo courtesy of Gregory Sonn) Day 31 of 31 This is Gregory Sonn’s story: My name is Gregory and I’m currently living in the unincorporated area of Roseville, near…

I used to think I was immune to illness. Getting sick was what my patients did. My multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis turned this belief, and many others, upside down. When the chaos of the diagnosis settled, I realized that becoming a patient was the most profound lesson I could…

Health Canada has approved the commercial use of ETNA-MS, a software-based medical device that uses eye tracking to noninvasively measure disease severity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Short for Eye-Tracking Neurological Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis, ETNA-MS assesses disease severity based on a person’s eye movements. It’s intended for…

Sabrina says she made important lifestyle changes after her MS diagnosis. (Photos courtesy of Sabrina) Day 26 of 31 This is Sabrina’s story: My name is Sabrina, and I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2016, when I was 23. (Editor’s note: Sabrina asked that her…

My adolescent years can be characterized by a series of naps, long-lasting migraines, always being sick, and never being able to donate blood, which my family and I never understood. My journey with multiple sclerosis (MS) started long before my diagnosis in 2016. Let me set the…

Rochelle waits for a virtual appointment with her doctor in 2020. (Photos courtesy of Rochelle) Day 25 of 31 This is Rochelle’s story: I’m writing this on the anniversary of “that day.” I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, or RRMS, in March 2020. How fitting that I…

Desiree Lama graduates from the University of Texas at Austin. (Photos courtesy of Desiree Lama) Day 24 of 31 This is Desiree Lama’s story: My journey with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) began when I was only 14 years old. I can vividly recall the smells, sights (or lack…

Kathy Young toasts a beautiful day with a glass of red wine in her backyard. (Photos courtesy of Kathy Young) Day 23 of 31 This is Kathy Young’s story: I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2008. It took about a month to get the diagnosis which,…

A smile is the best cure, says Natalia Ancora. Every time you fall, just get up, smile, and keep going! (Photos courtesy of Natalia Ancora) Day 21 of 31 This is Natalia Ancora’s story: Hello, MS Fam! My name is Natalia, and I live in beautiful Australia. I…