Testing for multiple sclerosis
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- Category: Treatment and Diagnosis of MS
- Written by R. Adam Quigley
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In most individuals with MS, their diagnosis is established over time and the consideration of alternative causes for their symptoms. One astonishing fact about MS, is that once an individual has a typical problem associated with MS, the risk of having MS within 15 years is 90% even if all other tests show negative findings. The gold standard of diagnosis is seeing multiple problems in the nervous system come and go without another explanation.
The most useful tests for multiple sclerosis are MR imaging of the brain and sometimes spinal cord, cerebrospinal fluid examination for abnormal immune proteins, and electrical testing such as evoked responses. Other testing is often used to exclude other potential causes of the symptoms. These tests are minimally invasive and may be repeated after a period of time (usually years) if the diagnosis is inconclusive.
Ultrahigh-field strength, T1-weighted magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition and multiple gradient echoes (MPRAGE) is highly sensitive for detecting multiple sclerosis (MS) plaques within the white and gray brain parenchyma, according to a study published online Feb. 20 in Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives... 
Cannabis-based medicinal products, such as Sativex, could soon be available to sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other medical conditions on prescription.
One in a lakh Indians is thought to suffer from multiple sclerosis, a life-long disorder of the nervous system. Support groups are lobbying to bring the disease under the Disability Act, and are fighting for insurance cover.
