National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Diagnostic criteria, diagnostic algorithm and other tools to facilitate diagnosis
Although more tools are available to help today’s clinician make an accurate MS diagnosis, the requirements for diagnosing this complex disease are the same as they have been since Jean-Martin Charcot first described MS in the early 19th century:
An understanding of these basic requirements is essential in order to reduce the risk of mis-diagnosing a person with MS and improperly treating whatever illness or condition the person actually has. The literature suggests that among patients referred to MS treatment centers with a possible diagnosis of MS, fewer than 50 percent are found to have clinical or paraclinical findings caused by MS [Kelly et al, 2012; Camosino et al., 2005]. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has greatly enhanced the diagnostic process since the first diagnostic criteria were introduced by Schumacher in 1965, it has also contributed significantly to the mis-diagnosis of MS (Ratchford & Calabresi, 2008).
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