diagnosis

Angie Gensler became a certified MS fitness specialist, personal trainer, and health coach in the past five years. She led the fitness training alongside her mentor and friend David Lyons at the 2023 MSFC Training Camp in Palm Springs, California. (Photos courtesy of Angie Gensler) Day 19 of 31…

Hi! I’m new — not to having multiple sclerosis (MS), but to being a columnist. I’m a daughter, wife, mother of two young adults, dog mom, sister, aunt, friend, college professor, pharmacist, avid reader, nature lover, and an MS warrior. I was diagnosed with MS in 2014, although…

Alex Ramirez stands outside of his home. (Photos courtesy of Alex Ramirez) Day 13 of 31 This is Alex Ramirez’s story: In January 2018, I started to feel terrible in a way I can’t put into words. I went to the hospital, and after multiple MRIs, I was prescribed…

Did you know that sunflowers symbolize hidden disabilities? Deanna Renee reflects on her achievements while eagerly anticipating the future. (Photos courtesy of Deanna Renee) Day 12 of 31 This is Deanna Renee’s story: At 17, when a neurologist delivered my diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), it felt like…

A model based on genetic factors could help predict the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in people with optic neuritis, an eye disorder that can be an early sign of MS, according to new research. “As a doctor caring for many patients with optic neuritis, I’m excited by…

Faith Agauas takes a stroll by the waterfront. (Photos courtesy of Faith Agauas) Day 11 of 31 This is Faith Agauas’ story: My 70 years of life have been an amazing journey. I grew up in Detroit in a neighborhood filled with love and protection, music from Motown, and…

The presence of paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs), which represent areas of damage in the brain and spinal cord with chronic active inflammation, may help identify people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are more likely to have cognitive decline over time. That’s according to four-year data presented by Hannah Schwartz,…

Julie Stamm was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007. (Courtesy of Colorado Parent magazine) Day 5 of 31 This is Julie Stamm’s (@iamstamm) story: I was officially diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) on Jan. 8, 2007. While I can date my symptoms back to six years before that,…

Bethany Carman runs her first 10K at the Mornington Running Festival in Australia. (Photos courtesy of Bethany Carman) Day 4 of 31 This is Bethany Carman’s story: Hello, I’m Beth. I’m 30 years old, based in Melbourne, Australia, and I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS)…

Sarah Doherty is shown in a selfie. (Photos courtesy of Sarah Doherty) Day 3 of 31 This is Sarah Doherty’s story: I never in a million years expected to have to deal with a chronic health diagnosis at age 28. What started as the loss of vision in…

An association between the proteins IgG1 and CXCL10 in the fluid around the brain may help predict the risk of future disease activity for people in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to “CXCL10/IgG1 Axis in Multiple Sclerosis as a Potential Predictive Biomarker…

An imaging feature called the T1-dark rim, which is visible on standard MRI scans of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), could help to identify paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs), a study suggests. PRLs are regions of chronic active inflammation that cause ongoing nerve damage. They’re associated with disease activity and…

Measuring levels of nitric oxide metabolites in the blood could be a diagnostic biomarker for multiple sclerosis (MS), recent research suggests. The molecules, collectively called NOx, were elevated in the blood of people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and primary-progressive MS…

New guidelines from the Spanish Society of Neurology emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and prompt treatment in the management of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). These guidelines also highlight a need to move beyond traditional views of “first line” and “second line” MS treatments, suggesting instead a…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) utilize more healthcare resources a year before their MS diagnosis, suggesting this may be a period of prodromal MS, when patients start having unspecific and mild MS symptoms. These might include mild cognitive issues, skin problems, and anemia, when the body doesn’t have…

The level of proteins called kappa free light chains in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) — the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord — may be used as a diagnostic marker to identify the presence of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. Testing for…

About four years before I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), someone else inadvertently “diagnosed” me. This person wasn’t medically trained, probably had no personal knowledge of MS, and didn’t actually use the words “multiple sclerosis.” Still, they gave me one of the best clues in my quest…

An increasing number of people in western Norway have been diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) after age 50 over the past century, according to a new population study. The rise was primarily driven by people being diagnosed at older ages, with the average age of onset rising from 28.6…

When my general practitioner first spoke about the possibility of a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in February 2022, I walked out of his office. I broke down in tears; I was terrified. At that instant, my first thought was, “OK, so how long do I have left?”…

Where has the year gone? As we move closer to Christmas and a new year, I’ve pondered what the past 12 months of change have brought to my life. At the beginning of the year, I was working full time and still coming to terms with the diagnosis of…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to experience depression, sexual dysfunction, constipation, inflammation of the bladder, and urinary tract infection in the five years leading up to their diagnosis than those without the disease, a study found. These findings parallel growing evidence that there’s a prodromal phase, in…

Many years ago, I had an MRI scan on my right knee, and it didn’t go well. In fact, panic set in when I first looked at the scanner, as the tube seemed small. After I lay down and the operator started moving the table, I faced a…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared BrainSpec Core, a platform that performs non-invasive measurements of brain chemistry, for use in diagnosing some of the most common diseases that affect the brain, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Developed by BrainSpec, the platform uses magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)…

I encountered multiple sclerosis (MS) for the first time in a Valdosta High School math class. Before my geometry teacher was diagnosed, I had never known anyone with the disease and, in all likelihood, was completely ignorant about it. I would hear the name again about 10 years…

Let me introduce myself: I’m Mike, and if you don’t mind, I’d like to share my story. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in August 2022. Since then, a lot has changed, including the loss of a 20-year career, worsening mobility problems, and the start of…

Pixyl.Neuro, a next-generation software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) in analyzing MRI scans to help detect and monitor multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity, has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical use. 510(k) clearance is required for medical devices used in the…

Measuring the amount of specific antibody clumps in the blood helped distinguish people with multiple sclerosis (MS) from healthy individuals and people with other conditions with an accuracy of at least 90%, a new study has found. The findings show that clumps of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies — which…

A test called Elecsys NfL  — developed by Roche to measure blood levels of the nerve damage biomarker neurofilament light chain (NfL) in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) — has received breakthrough device designation in the U.S. That status, granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),…

Levels of proteins in the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), can help predict disease activity and disability worsening for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. “We identified several promising protein biomarkers which could be used to predict short-term activity…

Elevated blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), an established biomarker of nerve damage, are associated with a higher risk of near-term disability worsening in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a large study. Findings imply that there’s usually a window of time — about a year or…