Over-Diagnosing of Multiple Sclerosis : The Potential Pitfalls of the 2010 McDonald Criteria

With the revised 2010 McDonald criteria, the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis is too frequently being assigned to individuals who do not have the disease. In this day and age of efficacious, yet often toxic therapies, this is a potentially serious issue. The following provides a brief overview of the principal factors underlying this diagnostic shortcoming. […]

When Criteria are Misapplied: Misdiagnosing MS

Posted by on February 5, 2015 in Multiple Sclerosis  | No Comments

In 2005, the New England Journal of Medicine published the first two cases of Tysabri associated progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). The succeeding autopsy, however, revealed that, one of the patients had been misdiagnosed and did not in fact have multiple sclerosis (MS). Such misdiagnoses are, I believe, a growing concern when it comes to MS. […]

The Evolving Lexicon of MS Care

Posted by on October 29, 2014 in Multiple Sclerosis  | One Comment

When I was a medical student it was common for doctors, in the interest of the patient, to delay divulging the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). There was no effective treatment. Neurologists could offer support and try to palliate symptoms, but were helpless in arresting the disease’s progressive impact on the central nervous system. It […]