diagnosis

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be developing the disease for up to five years before the first clinical diagnosis is made, a study has found. The study, “Health-care use before a first demyelinating event suggestive of a multiple sclerosis prodrome: a matched cohort study,” was published…

A  multidisciplinary team at the University of California at San Diego has come up with a computerized glove used as a sensor to measure spasticity, or stiffness, in the limbs of patients with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and stroke. The system is more accurate than physicians’ assessments of spasticity…

Editor’s note: Marking the second MS diagnosis anniversary of our columnists in one week, Judy Lynn writes about the “Anniversary Effect.” This week marks the 14th anniversary of my MS diagnosis. That day, March 27, 2003, is etched clearly in my mind.  Ask me about anything else I was doing…

On March 27, 2013, my primary care physician called me about MRI results from the day before. He and the radiologist concurred; they had found evidence of brain lesions consistent with multiple sclerosis. Following protocol, he sent me to the best specialist in Seattle to confirm diagnosis. His was a preliminary diagnosis. In the…

A person unlucky enough to have two specific gene variants is at significantly higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study. The research, which gave scientists insight into the processes that cause MS, also suggested that another mutation increased the effects of a known MS risk gene. The…

What is benign MS? Does it even exist? Certainly it is not one of the types of the disease often listed as making up the multiple sclerosis family. It is a term that is surrounded by controversy,…

Molecular diagnostics startup IQuity is introducing a pioneering blood test that speeds up multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis to just seven days. Previously, this process could take up to months or years. IQuity, based in Nashville, Tennessee, began working on its new IsolateMS blood test in January 2016, after receiving $2…

Scientists have discovered the first blood biomarker for multiple sclerosis (MS) –  a chemical identifier in the blood. The discovery should lead to a simple blood test that makes it quicker and easier to follow the course of MS, a debilitating disease of the central nervous system affecting around 2.3 million people…

Royal Philips will introduce a new suite of magnetic resonance (MR)-based software applications at the upcoming Radiological Society of North America’s 102nd Scientific Meeting and Annual Assembly (RSNA 2016; #RSNA16) Nov. 27 to Dec. 2 in Chicago. Philips’ Ingenia family of digital MRI systems provides radiologists with a unique set…

  I am thankful for a lot of things in my life and my multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis is one of them. Before learning it was MS, I was on a very long roller-coaster ride of unexplained symptoms. Test after test came back normal. Yet, I still had weak…

You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like there’s nobody listening, And live like it’s heaven on earth. Those lines from William W. Purkey, a professor, author and motivational speaker, have been blazoned on countless greeting cards and posters…

Quanterix and UmanDiagnostics are working to advance an assay capable of detecting neuron damage in a blood sample — a tool that could aid in the early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative conditions. The collaboration brings Quanterix’ Simoa technology together with Uman’s antibodies against neurofilament light (Nf-L) — a…

Researchers at McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in Canada developed a new tool to diagnose cachexia — also called wasting syndrome. It’s characterized by weight loss, muscle atrophy, fatigue, weakness, and a significant loss of appetite in someone who is not trying to lose weight, mainly in cancer patients. The tool may also…

A virus known to cause respiratory infections in people — the human coronavirus (HCoV) — may also be the source of neurological diseases that strike patients, seemingly out of the blue, a new study reported. Results obtained in the study, “Human Coronavirus OC43 Associated with Fatal Encephalitis,” support the idea that diseases…

  And do you feel scared? I do, but I won’t stop and falter. And if we threw it all away, things can only get better – Howard Jones, “Things Can Only Get Better” Things I’m good at include (but are not limited…

In MS patient columnist Teresa Wright-Johnson’s debut column on Multiple Sclerosis News Today, she introduces herself and discusses the pain and uncertainty of her diagnosis. She also shares how spirituality and reflection are leading her to overcome the diagnosis and move forward. Hello everyone! Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share…

Early detection is very important for any disease diagnosis. With Multiple Sclerosis, it gives you the opportunity to start a treatment plan early that may help with slowing the progression of the disease. Symptoms of MS vary widely from person to person and can closely mimic other disease symptoms. Lesions don’t always…

Scientists at Russia’s Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) and Siberian State Medical University (SSMU), both in Tomsk, have developed a diagnosis system for neurodegenerative diseases in the early stages. The system uses virtual reality (VR) technology to immerse a subject in a virtual environment during functional tests designed to detect early symptoms of…

There can be absolutely no excuse for anyone experiencing the first signs and symptoms of neurological conditions like MS having to wait a long time to see an appropriate specialist, such as a neurologist. Delays in seeing specialists is a complaint often heard from patients in various countries, and it…

The Canadian Association of Optometrists is urging people to have their eyes examined regularly as a part of their preventive care routine. The plea, an education initiative for May — which is Vision Health Month — stresses that comprehensive eye exams are important even for people with good vision, because they…

Researchers reported that patients with myelitis who later develop multiple sclerosis (MS) might be distinguished from others with myelitis by a number of characteristics, like the location and size of spinal cord lesions, a finding that might help clinicians diagnose MS and initiate treatment at an early stage. Myelitis, an…

Elissa Holzman is an MS Health Coach who specializes in nutrition and a healthy lifestyle for supporting those with the disease. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005, which led her to pay closer attention to how she treats her body. In her new column for Multiple Sclerosis News…

IQuity Labs, which specializes in diagnostic tests for autoimmune and other diseases, recently announced that it has received $2 million in seed funding to support the launch of its test panels, diagnostic tests designed to confirm the presence or absence of disease at the very onset of symptoms. The first to…