Multiple sclerosis diagnosis: what to do after you have been diagnosed
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative disease that affects much of the central nervous system. However, it does not have any kind of cure and does not has been found one yet. However, the diagnosis to know if you live with this disease is a little complex, because there is no specific test to detect it. Therefore, the first step is to consult a neurologist. It is estimated that 10% of people who might have multiple sclerosis actually have another disease that resembles it. The commonly confused conditions are: inflammation of the blood vessels, lupus, multiple strokes, brain infections, and vitamin deficiency.
Besides, because it is a disease that has no cure, early diagnosis is fundamental, because nowadays there are drugs that give patients a lot of hope, since they can manage to change the course of the disease.
The truth is that, thanks to the treatments, the majority of the diagnosed patients can now lead a practically normal life with the help of the environment and the relatives. In 85 percent of cases the disease occurs in ‘outbreaks’; with the passage of the years, up to 40 percent of the patients, the disease can happen to have a progressive course.
How is multiple sclerosis diagnosed?
Multiple sclerosis is not diagnosed with a single test. In the first evaluation, the neurologist reviews the medical history and performs a detailed neurological examination to check the patient’s symptoms and the state of his neurological system. The symptoms and signs that appear may be due to many different diseases, so it is important to rule out these diseases before doing an accurate and definitive diagnosis of MS.
However, not all patients manifest all the symptoms and nor at the same time. Thus, there is still no specific and conclusive evidence for this disease, so to diagnose it, several procedures and tests are needed.
Test you should take into account
Make a medical history: This should include the previous record of symptoms and other signs as well as the current state of health of the person. Complete physical examination and medical tests are required to confirm the diagnosis.
Neurological Recognition: Some of the most common neurological signs include changes in limb coordination, weakness, reflexes, balance, speech and sensation. With this recognition, it is not possible to conclude what causes the anomaly and, therefore, other possible causes of illness that produce symptoms similar to those of MS should be eliminated.
Evidence of auditory and visual evoked potentials: Evoked potentials measure the time the brain take receiving and read the messages. This is done by placing small electrodes on the head that monitor brain waves in response to auditory and visual stimuli. Usually, the reaction of the brain is almost instantaneous but if there is demyelination, there may be a delay. This test is not invasive or painful and does not require hospitalization.
MRI scan: This is a recent diagnostic test that gets very detailed images of the spinal cord as well as the brain, pointing to any existing areas of sclerosis which are the lesions or plaques. Although it is the only evidence in which lesions of multiple sclerosis can be seen, it cannot be considered as conclusive, because not all lesions can be picked up by the scanner and because many other diseases can produce identical anomalies. MRI is also very useful in clinical trials to determine the value of new treatments for their ability to measure disease activity in the brain and spinal cord.
A sample of cerebrospinal fluid obtained with a lumbar puncture, this liquid is examined in order to detect the levels of certain proteins of the immune system and the presence of antibodies called “oligoclonal bands” using the colorization system. These kind of bands expose an immune response inside the CNS and are found in the cerebrospinal fluid of 90% to 95% of people with this condition.
What happens after the diagnosis?
Although the problem itself is neurological and therefore it is treated in medicine, the difficulties caused by multiple sclerosis often cause difficulties and problems that affect the psyche and life of those who suffer it. So, after knowing if you have or not multiple sclerosis, is very important that you seek for the best treatment to stop the disease progression. Although this is a disease that does not have a cure, there are treatments and drugs that can help patients to have a better quality of life. Nowadays, cellular therapies are the most popular and powerful treatments mostly for degenerative diseases. The stem cells are used since they have the ability to regenerate themselves in almost any kind of cells in the body in order to replace those who are damage.
Our company offers a treatment based of these magnificent stem cells that are aimed to help patients with diseases such as Alzheimer, Parkinson and MS among others. Our treatment goal is that, after the multiple sclerosis diagnosis, help patients to reduce symptoms as well as to stop or reduce the disease progression. The treatment is made by blisters and capsules that make it a noninvasive treatment. This means that the patient do not need medical supervision in order to administrate it, they can do it by themselves. At the same time, our therapy can help the immune system with a nutritional support by adding the proteins that were lost through the disease’s course. For more information keep in touch with us through our phone numbers or through our emails, and our staff will be pleasured to assist you.
