Diagnosis

How exactly is MS diagnosed?

MS is complex and can cause many different symptoms, so it's not easy to diagnose. It's hard to pinpoint exactly when MS begins, and the early signs and symptoms are different for everyone.

It is not uncommon for a diagnosis to take several months, and frustratingly it can take even longer. 

However, I was very lucky, (not sure that is the correct word, but hey!!) and I was diagnosed within a month of taking ill. However, the doctor did say at time of diagnosis, it’s possible I have been living with MS since 2006/2007 without even knowing.

At time of diagnosis, a range of other possible causes need to be explored and many different tests need to be carried out.

What are the tests for MS?

• Neurological examination
• MRI Scanning
• Evoked Potentionals
• Lumbar Puncture
• Other tests

Neurological examination

You will be asked lots of questions about past symptoms and problems, and also family history as well, which in the medical world is known as ‘history taking’. This helps the doctor get a better picture of you and can help identify any other problems that may explain current symptoms.

A physical examination can also be carried out, which checks for changes or weaknesses in your eye movements, leg or hand coordination, balance, sensation, speech of reflexes. Whilst a neurologist may strongly suspect MS at this stage, a diagnosis won't be given until other test results confirm MS.

Magnetic Resonsance Imaging (MRI)

An MRI scanner uses a strong magnetic field to create a detailed image of your brain and spinal cord. It is very accurate and can pinpoint the exact location and size of any damage or scarring (lesions). MRI scans confirm a diagnosis in over 90 per cent of people with MS.

There is nothing much positive about an MRI, but when your friends question you, jokingly, of not having a brain, after an MRI you can tell them, well I have proof I have a brain, where is yours?!!

Evoked potentials

This involves testing the time it takes for your brain to receive messages by placing small electrodes on your head to monitor your brain waves responding to what you see or hear. If myelin damage has occurred, messages to and from your brain will be slower.

Lumbar puncture

This is sometimes called a spinal tap. It involves a needle being inserted into the space around your spinal cord, under local anaesthetic. A small sample of the fluid that flows around the brain and spinal cord, called cerebrospinal fluid, is then taken and tested for abnormalities. People with MS often have antibodies in this fluid.

People commonly report headaches following a lumbar puncture. The medical staff should advise you on how to manage this. Newer, smaller needles cause less discomfort, although they’re not yet being widely used.

Lumbar punctures are not being done much any more in diagnosis of MS.

Other tests

To rule out conditions that are similar to MS, other tests may also be done. These may include blood tests to reveal certain antibodies, and inner ear tests to check your balance.