Miscellaneous 

What happens if I am diagnosed with MS?

Leia Doyle

What happens if I am diagnosed with MS?

Feelings of shock, denial, fear, anger, anxiety, loneliness, sadness, uncertainty and guilt are all a normal part of coming to terms with a diagnosis of a lifelong condition like MS. You may feel a sense of relief or acceptance, especially if you’ve spent a long time trying to find out the reason for your symptoms.

Can you get misdiagnosed with MS?

The misdiagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) is a problem with significant consequences for patients as well as the healthcare system. There are nearly 1 million people in the United States living with the disease. And researchers now say nearly 20 percent of them are misdiagnosed.

What percentage of MS patients become disabled?

The truth is that 15 years after the onset of MS, only about 20% of patients are bedridden or institutionalized. Another 20% may require a wheelchair, or use crutches, or a cane to ambulate, but fully 60% will be ambulatory without assistance and some will have little deficit at all.

Does MS show up as inflammation in blood work?

Blood tests can’t currently result in a firm diagnosis of MS, but they can rule out other conditions. These other conditions include: Lyme disease. syphilis.

What misdiagnosed as MS?

The most common correct diagnosis among the patients misdiagnosed with MS was migraine (16%), followed by radiologically isolated syndrome, a condition in which patients do not experience symptoms of MS even though their imaging tests look similar to those of MS patients.

Can you have a clear MRI and still have MS?

MS can be present even with a normal MRI and spinal fluid test although it’s uncommon to have a completely normal MRI. Sometimes the MRI of the brain may be normal, but the MRI of the spinal cord may be abnormal and consistent with MS, so this also needs to be considered.

What is the lifespan of someone with Multiple Sclerosis?

The study found that people with MS lived to be 75.9 years old, on average, compared to 83.4 years old for those without. That 7.5-year difference is similar to what other researchers have found recently. MS and its complications are the cause of death for about half the people diagnosed with the disease.