Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

MS affects the central nervous system (CNS) — the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve. Though an exact cause is yet to be identified, research has shown that MS develops when a patient’s immune system attacks the CNS, damaging the protective sheath around the nerve fibers (myelin). This disrupts signals to the brain, causing a range of neurological and functional symptoms that progress over time.

Diagnosis begins with a discussion of your family and personal medical history, including symptoms such as:

• Balance issues, like dizziness or vertigo
• Bladder or bowel incontinence
• Chronic pain 
• Difficulty swallowing
• Difficulty walking 
• Fatigue
• Mood changes, such as depression
• Memory problems
• Numbness or tingling in the arms and legs
• Paralysis
• Sexual dysfunction
• Spasticity
• Weakness
• Vision loss

Next, we will perform a neurological exam and specific tests to rule out other neurological disorders or underlying health conditions. Tests may include:

• Blood tests to help rule out other infectious and inflammatory diseases.
• A spinal tap (lumbar puncture) to show abnormalities in white blood cells or antibodies that are associated with MS and may help rule out other viral infections as the cause.
• MRI to show MS lesions on your brain or spinal cord.
• Evoked potential to show if electrical signals that occur in response to stimuli are slower than they should be due to demyelination; this test can also uncover nerve damage associated with MS even if the damage is too subtle to appear by other examination.

MS can be diagnosed:

• If you have damage in at least two separate areas of the CNS.
• If there’s evidence that the damage occurred at least a month apart. 
• If all other possible explanations have been ruled out.

If you have MS, your personal treatment plan will be designed around your symptoms, long-term health goals and the type of MS you have: 

• Relapsing-remitting MS – Patients develop new symptoms that improve partially or completely, then experience a remission period that can last months or years. Up to 70% of patients reach a point of steady disease progression without remission. 
• Primary-progressive MS – Occurs when patients experience steady progression of the disease without remission periods.