Could It Be MS? How Doctors Test and Diagnose Multiple Sclerosis

Many times when doctors diagnose multiple sclerosis, it comes as a surprise to the patient. “They’re thinking they have an infection or some other mild medical complaint,” says Michelle Fabian, MD, a Neurologist at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

MS is a nervous system disease that affects your brain and spinal cord. The body’s immune system damages the myelin sheath.This is the material that surrounds and protects nerve cells. This damage slows down or blocks messages between your brain and your body, which can causing a wide range of debilitating symptoms. Symptoms of MS include weakness, blurry vision, and trouble balancing.

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Written by:

Brittany Doohan

Brittany Doohan was the Content Director at HealthiNation and is currently the Editorial Director at Medscape. Through her work with Medscape, she won a Silver Telly Award in May 2022 for "Sleepless Nation: A Public Health Epidemic — Episode 2: A Decade Without a Diagnosis." She has worked in health journalism and video production for more than 8 years, and loves the challenge of explaining complex topics in an easy-to-understand and creative way.

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Mandy Armitage, MD

Mandy Armitage, MD, has combined clinical medicine with her passion for education and content development for many years. She served as medical director for the health technology companies HealthLoop (now Get Well) and Doximity.

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