Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis

Because the symptoms vary widely, doctors may not recognise the disorder in its early stages. They may suspect multiple sclerosis in younger people who suddenly develop blurred vision, double vision or movement problems and abnormal sensations in different parts of the body. Symptoms that fluctuate and a pattern of relapse and remissions support the diagnosis.

Therefore MS is diagnosed clinically by accumulating evidence from the history and physical examination with supportive investigations showing lesions within the myelinated tracts (‘white matter’) in the CNS that are scattered in time (i.e. two or more separate episodes) and space (i.e. in two or more separate locations).

In occasional instances even with all available investigations, it is not possible to reach a definite diagnosis in the early stages because making a diagnosis of MS is a process that involves excluding reasonable alternative diagnoses.

Amended April 2008