Diseases which mimic ms

Syphilis-related antibodies in the bloodstream or cerebrospinal fluid can help distinguish this infection from MS. A number of autoimmune diseases may cause neurologic symptoms similar to those seen in MS. Transverse myelitis is also seen in multiple sclerosis. For instance, lupus as the cause of neurologic symptoms is more likely than MS if a person also tests positive for specific lupus-related blood tests, like antibodies to double-stranded DNA. Lupus would also be more likely if that person had other lupus-related symptoms like joint pain, anemia, or kidney problems.

It is also not uncommon for multiple sclerosis to coexist with other autoimmune disorders. It can be a scary time if you or a loved one is being tested for multiple sclerosis or other similar conditions. In the end, though, a thorough process will ensure the correct diagnosis, so you can move forward with a proper treatment plan.

Get tips and advice on how you can live a full and happy life with MS. Relationship between vitamin B12 and sensory and motor peripheral nerve function in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. Vitamin B 12 deficiency and multiple sclerosis; is there any association? Int J Prev Med. Cervical disk pathology in patients with multiple sclerosis: two case reports. Phys Ther. Multiple sclerosis: diagnosis and differential diagnosis. Noro Psikiyatr Ars. Anaya J. SP polyautoimmunity: diagnosis and significance.

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This treatment may be followed by natalizumab infusions, and the patients may make a good recovery. One distinguishing feature of ADEM is that the patient has many lesions that appear to be of the same age. Lesions may appear on the basal ganglia and the thalamus, which is atypical for MS. ADEM tends to have a monophasic course, and patients usually present with encephalopathy, headaches, and vomiting. Patients often have a history of preceding vaccination or infection.

What distinguishes it from MS are lacunar infarcts, involvement in sites like the thalamus and basal ganglia, and gray matter involvement. The absence of gadolinium enhancement is typical in leukodystrophies. The disorders may involve the U-fibers, the brainstem, or the cerebellum, and patients may present with cognitive decline. In the eye, the most pathognomonic finding is hyperfluorescence of the arterial wall on fluorescein angiogram.

Early treatment can produce good outcomes, but missing the diagnosis may quickly result in dementia, vision loss, and hearing loss. Lupus can cause CNS manifestations, including cerebritis, vasculitis, and myelitis. The white matter lesions in neurosarcoidosis can be similar to those in MS, but neurosarcoidosis also causes leptomeningeal enhancement and cranial nerve enhancement, which are not seen in MS.

Skip to main content. Conference Coverage. Neurology Reviews. Lyme disease — An infection caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi organism, which is transmitted to humans by a deer tick. Syphilis — A sexually-transmitted infection caused by the acterium Treponema pallidum, which can cause neurologic symptoms many years after the initial infection.

Vasculitis — An autoimmune disorder that attacks the blood vessels that supply the brain and spinal cord, producing neurologic symptoms. Systemic lupus erythematosus — A chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disorder that can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, nervous system and other organs of the body.

Sarcoidosis — A chronic, probably autoimmune condition that produces collections of inflammatory cells granulomas in the lungs, skin, lymph nodes, liver and central nervous system, commonly producing respiratory symptoms and, sometimes, neurologic symptoms. In addition to mouth sores, genital sores, inflammation inside of the eye and skin problems, Behcets can affect the white matter in the brain. Hereditary myelopathies — A number of inherited disorders involving the spinal cord, including hereditary cerebellar degeneration , the leukodystrophies and motor neuron disorder involving nerve tracts in the spinal cord.

Leukodystrophies — Rare inherited progressive disorders that damage the myelin in the central nervous system and cause neurological symptoms. Hereditary cerebellar degeneration — A group of hereditary disorders that cause slowly progressive incoordination of gait, as well as poor coordination of hands, speech and eye movements.

Mitochondrial diseas e — Malfunctioning of the mitochondria structures in cells that produce energy that interferes with various body functions and can produce neurologic symptoms. Metastases — Cancer that has spread from its original location to another is considered metastatic.

Some cancers — breast, lung, kidney and skin melanoma — are more likely to spread to the central nervous system and cause neurologic symptoms.