What diseases are similar to MS?

Conditions That Can Seem Like MS
  • Epstein-Barr Virus.
  • Vitamin B12 Deficiency.
  • Diabetes.
  • Nerve Damage.
  • Eye Problems.
  • Stroke.
  • Lupus and Other Autoimmune Diseases.
  • Parkinson's Disease.
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What else has the same symptoms as MS?

These include fibromyalgia and vitamin B12 deficiency, muscular dystrophy (MD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), migraine, hypo-thyroidism, hypertension, Beçhets, Arnold-Chiari deformity, and mitochondrial disorders, although your neurologist can usually rule them out quite easily.
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Can you be 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.
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What autoimmune diseases are associated with MS?

Some studies showed high prevalence of thyroiditis, psoriasis, and autoimmune thyroiditis as the most common diseases accompanied by MS.
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What disease is worse than MS?

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an autoimmune disease that primarily affects the central nervous system. The autoimmune disease means the body attacks its own cells and gives rise to symptoms. Symptoms of NMO are usually severe than multiple sclerosis (MS). The individual episodes in NMO are more serious compared to MS.
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Multiple sclerosis patients with same symptoms may have distinct types of disease



How do you rule out MS?

MRI multiple sclerosis lesions
  1. Blood tests, to help rule out other diseases with symptoms similar to MS . ...
  2. Spinal tap (lumbar puncture), in which a small sample of cerebrospinal fluid is removed from your spinal canal for laboratory analysis. ...
  3. MRI, which can reveal areas of MS (lesions) on your brain and spinal cord.
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What is Devic's disease?

What is neuromyelitis optica? Neuromyelitis optica, also called NMO or Devic's disease, is a rare yet severe demyelinating autoimmune inflammatory process affecting the central nervous system. It specifically affects the myelin, which is the insulation around the nerves.
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When should you suspect multiple sclerosis?

People should consider the diagnosis of MS if they have one or more of these symptoms: vision loss in one or both eyes. acute paralysis in the legs or along one side of the body. acute numbness and tingling in a limb.
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What were your first signs of MS?

Common early signs of multiple sclerosis (MS) include:
  • vision problems.
  • tingling and numbness.
  • pains and spasms.
  • weakness or fatigue.
  • balance problems or dizziness.
  • bladder issues.
  • sexual dysfunction.
  • cognitive problems.
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What causes brain lesions besides MS?

Stroke, vascular injury, or impaired supply of blood to the brain is perhaps the leading cause of lesions on the brain. Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease where brain lesions are located in multiple sites of the brain.
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What can mimic MS lesions?

8 Conditions That Mimic Multiple Sclerosis
  • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Like MS, SLE is a disease of the immune system. ...
  • Sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis is a disease that is usually occurs during young adulthood. ...
  • Myasthenia Gravis. ...
  • HTLV-1. ...
  • Syphilis. ...
  • Lyme Disease. ...
  • Vitamin B12 Deficiency. ...
  • Blood Vessel Problems.
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What other symptoms have MS but no lesions?

About 5 percent of people who are confirmed to have MS do not initially have brain lesions evidenced by MRI. However, the longer a person goes without brain or spinal cord lesions on MRI, the more important it becomes to look for other possible diagnoses.
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Can Guillain Barre Syndrome be mistaken for MS?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) are diseases of the nervous system. They're not the same, but they do have a lot of similarities. Both MS and GBS are autoimmune diseases. This means they cause your body's immune system to attack its own tissues.
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Is Sjogren's similar to MS?

Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease that can mimic some of the symptoms of MS such as fatigue and joint pain. However, Sjogren's syndrome is known to cause dry mouth and eyes, which are not associated with MS.
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How do I know if I have fibromyalgia or MS?

MS can permanently damage your nerves. Fibromyalgia causes pain and stiffness all over your body, along with other symptoms. Doctors aren't sure what triggers it. They think it might have something to do with how your brain processes pain.
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Is lupus worse than MS?

Yet there are differences as well. In general, lupus does more generalized damage to your body than MS, which primarily damages the nervous system.
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What does MS feel like in legs?

Some people with MS describe it as like having bags of sand attached to their legs. This muscle weakness combined with MS fatigue can be upsetting. Weakness in your legs can cause balance and walking difficulties and you may be more likely to fall.
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How does MS affect your feet?

Foot drop, or dropped foot, is a symptom of multiple sclerosis caused by weakness in the ankle or disruption in the nerve pathway between the legs and the brain. This disruption means it is difficult to lift the front of the foot to the correct angle during walking.
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What does MS leg pain feel like?

This pain is described as constant, boring, burning or tingling intensely. It often occurs in the legs. Paraesthesia types include pins and needles, tingling, shivering, burning pains, feelings of pressure, and areas of skin with heightened sensitivity to touch.
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Can a neurologist tell if you have MS?

MS is diagnosed by your neurologist. They will use a specific checklist to diagnose MS, known as the McDonald criteria. They'll carry out a number of tests to run through the criteria, which could include blood tests and MRI.
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What does a neurologist do to check for MS?

Neurological examination

Your neurologist will look for abnormalities, changes or weakness in your vision, eye movements, hand or leg strength, balance and co-ordination, speech and reflexes. These may show whether your nerves are damaged in a way that might suggest MS.
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Why do I keep thinking I have MS?

Multiple sclerosis can trigger anxiety within the brain itself. But the actual reason that MS tends to do this is simply because the disease is scary, which may lead to problematic thinking patterns and negative emotions. Many of those with MS have frightening symptoms and recurrent, relapsing, progressively worse MS.
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What is anti-MOG disease?

Abstract. Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (anti-MOG) syndromes are immune-mediated inflammatory conditions of the central nervous system that frequently involve the optic nerves and the spinal cord.
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What is transverse myelitis symptoms?

Initial symptoms usually include lower back pain or sharp, shooting sensations that radiate down the legs or arms or around the torso. Sensory alterations. Transverse myelitis can causeparesthesias(abnormal sensations such as burning, tickling, pricking, numbness, coldness, or tingling) in the legs, and sensory loss.
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Where does MS usually start?

Here's where MS (typically) starts

Although a number of MS symptoms can appear early on, two stand out as occurring more often than others: Optic neuritis, or inflammation of the optic nerve, is usually the most common, Shoemaker says. You may experience eye pain, blurred vision and headache.
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