A diagnosis of multiple sclerosis takes a number of factors into consideration. Your physician, usually a neurologist, will take your medical history. He or she will look for changes in your strength, reflexes, and response to touch, sound, and other senses. Your doctor may order tests, such as an MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, a special way to take highly detailed images of your brain and spinal cord, to find out if you have the lesions typical of MS.
Usually your health care provider will use several tests to help diagnose multiple sclerosis, as there is no single test that can provide a positive diagnosis. When diagnosing relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), health care providers will look at a combination of things which may include:
- The number of flare-ups or attacks you have over a period of time
- The number and types of lesions that can be seen on an MRI
- Whether you experience a combination of flare-ups and lesions
- Positive CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) test results. This test looks for certain levels of immune system proteins and the presence of oligoclonal bands in your cerebrospinal fluid
- Results from an “Evoked potential” test. This type of test checks your nervous system’s response for vision, hearing, and general
sensory levels
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