Diagnosing and Understanding MS

Your doctor will need to perform a neurological exam, a clinical history, and a series of other tests to determine if you have MS.

Diagnostic testing may include the following:

MRI is the best imaging test for MS. Using a contrast dye allows the MRI to detect active and inactive lesions throughout the brain and spinal cord.
Evoked potentials require stimulation of nerve pathways to analyze electrical activity in the brain. The three types of evoked potentials doctors use to help diagnose MS are visual, brainstem, and sensory.
A spinal tap, or lumbar puncture, can help your doctor find abnormalities in your spinal fluid. It can help rule out infectious diseases.
Doctors use blood tests to eliminate other conditions with similar symptoms.

The diagnosis of MS requires evidence of demyelination in more than one area of the brain, spinal cord, or optic nerves. That damage must have occurred at different times.

It also requires ruling out other conditions that have similar symptoms. This includes Lyme disease, lupus, and Sjogren’s syndrome.

Learn more about how MS is diagnosed »

What causes multiple sclerosis?

If you have MS, the myelin in your body becomes damaged. Myelin is the protective layer that covers nerve fibers throughout the central nervous system.

It’s thought that the damage is the result of an attack by the immune system. As your immune system attacks myelin, it causes inflammation. This leads to scar tissue, or lesions. All of that inflammation and scar tissue disrupts signals between the brain and other parts of your body.

It isn’t clear what may cause the immune system to attack.

Is MS hereditary?

MS isn’t hereditary, but having a parent or sibling with MS raises your risk slightly. Genetics may play a role. Scientists have identified some genes that seem to increase susceptibility to developing MS.

Researchers think there could be an environmental trigger such as a virus or toxin that sets off the immune system attack.

Learn more about the possible causes of multiple sclerosis »

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