Earliest Stages of Multiple Sclerosis

MS Living Well: Key Info from Multiple Sclerosis Experts

Years before the first typical neurological symptoms of multiple sclerosis such as numbness or visual loss, individuals can have other symptoms that are often overlooked. This period of time is called the MS prodrome. During the prodrome phase, there is an increase in symptoms including skin, gastrointestinal and psychiatric issues. Research may lead to earlier detection of MS.

Sometimes brain spots or "lesions" typical of multiple sclerosis can be surprisingly found in people who get an MRI scan of the brain for unrelated reasons such as headaches or head trauma. If the person never had MS symptoms, it's called radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS). RIS risk factors that really increase the risk of a MS relapse include spinal cord lesions, oligoclonal bands in spinal fluid and new MRI lesions over time. Clinical trials for RIS treatment reviewed including recent positive results.

Barry Singer MD, Director of The MS Center for Innovations in Care, interviews:

Helen Tremlett PhD, Professor in the Division of Neurology at the University of British Columbia and the Canada Research Chair in Neuroepidemiology and Multiple Sclerosis

Erin Longbrake MD PhD, an Associate Professor of Neurology at Yale School of Medicine and Director of Neuroimmunology Clinical Research