Multiple Sclerosis Tests?!
Question: I am currently undergoing the care of 3 Dr's trying to find out what is wrong with me. I have some neurological symptoms. My last 2 specialist both said something that I can't find supported in research. My rhumetologist tested my for an auto-immune disorder, and the results were normal. So he ruled out MS, same was said of the Neurologist. However, I have not seen anywhere that says that MS patients have a positive antinuclear antibodies test. I am concerned that they may be ruling something out that maybe shouldn;t be. I am currently waiting on the scheduling of an MRI.
Thanks for your responces, we are all our own health advocates.
Answers: I am currently undergoing the care of 3 Dr's trying to find out what is wrong with me. I have some neurological symptoms. My last 2 specialist both said something that I can't find supported in research. My rhumetologist tested my for an auto-immune disorder, and the results were normal. So he ruled out MS, same was said of the Neurologist. However, I have not seen anywhere that says that MS patients have a positive antinuclear antibodies test. I am concerned that they may be ruling something out that maybe shouldn;t be. I am currently waiting on the scheduling of an MRI.
Thanks for your responces, we are all our own health advocates.
Hi Emily! MS patients in general do not test positive on the antinuclear antibodies test. You can find evidence of this in the Archives of neurology site (http://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/content... In a five year study involving patients who have MS only 6.2% of confirmed MS cases showed positive titers for antiphospholipid antibodies and only 26% showed showed positive for titers of antinuclear antibodies. There is no definitive test for MS. As a consequence, neurologists diagnose MS by observation and MRI. There is no definitive test for MS. Even the MRI often does not show lesions at the onset of MS. It took ten years for lesions to show on my MRI. This is not unusual. One of my close friends had lesions on her MRI but it was determined that they were not lesions typical MS. In conjuction with the MRI, doctors look for observable symptoms of MS such as poor coordination, poor nerve conduction; balance, speech, or gait problems, optic neuritis, impaired memory and/or cognition, etc. They also can use a lumbar pucture as a diagnostic tool. But there is no one test for MS. It takes a trained eye. You sure are correct-we are our own advocates. I have learned to second guess every doctor I go to. They are NOT gods. They are as fallible as the rest of us. Do you have an MS clinic near you that you can go to? There are many different types of lesions and it is best to go to a center with radiologists trained in determining if the lesions are the type found in MS patients. Best of luck, sweetie.
MRI testing is kind of a definitive test for MS (had all this too). There will be some kind of inter cranial scarring if you have MS.