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From: JHarper33(AT)aol.com
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Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 22:26:02 EST
To: dahl.j(AT)ghc.org
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Subject: Re: TM Relapse/Classifications of MS
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In a message dated 2/17/99 8:55:57 PM EST, JHarper33(AT)aol.com writes:
> Some time ago I wrote in info. from a book I had on MS the differing
> >diagnosises (that doesn't look right...) of MS: probable MS,
possible MS,
> >etc., and what symptoms or test results went into each diagnosis.
When I
> have
> >a chance I'll try to find that in the archives and send it to you.
Well, I couldn't find it in the archives, so I'll type it in again. This
is
from the book Multiple Sclerosis: New Hope and Practical Advice for
People
With MS and Their Families by Louis J. Rosner, M.D. and Shelly Ross.
Possible MS: Lab tests are inconclusive but MS is still a possibility
(along
with others). The patient may have had only one attack, symptoms in only
one
spot, or a slowly progressive illness without the more common course of
attacks and remission.
Probable MS: the clinical picture shows attacks with recovery, but the
attacks
may be all in the same spot; or there is evidence of more than one spot
but no
recovery or remission; or the lab tests are negative, which is not
uncommon in
an early case. Spinal fluid findings can be normal if tests are done
when the
disease is inactive. When the lesions are in the spinal cord only, they
can be
difficult to see, even with the MRI, and the MRI brain scan can also
often be
normal in the first three months of the disease.
Definite MS: a clinical picture in which the patient has attacks with
recovery
and signs and symptoms that point to lesions in more than one location
(optic
nerve, brain stem, spinal cord, or cerebrum). All other reasonable
possibilities are excluded, and one of the three crucial lab tests,
especially
the MRI, shows typical MS findings.
There is a 20-page chapter on "Signs and Symptoms" and a 12-page chapter
on
"The Diagnosis" The "crucial lab tests" are the MRI; the spinal tap, in
which
they look for IgG (immunoglobulin G), oligoclonal band, and myelin basic
protein (MBP); and evoked potential tests, which record how long it
takes
stimulus to reach the brain either through visual, auditory, or pain
stimulus.
More info. is at:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/healinfo/disorder/ms/mstext2.htm
As I mentioned, I found this book very helpful, even though it is a bit
dated,
because is discussed so many of the symptoms and problems TMers have.
Barbara H.
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