 | | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A brain scan for an unrelated issue could reveal undiagnosed multiple sclerosis (MS) years before symptoms begin.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help doctors diagnose many neurological conditions ranging from migraine headaches to head trauma. But in a study of 44 people given an MRI for an unrelated issue, their scans showed abnormalities seen in MS patients, even though the patients showed no MS symptoms. Whats more, a third of these people developed MS symptoms within an average of 5.4 years.
Text Continues Below
More research is needed to fully understand the risk of developing MS for people with these brain abnormalities, but it appears that this condition (were calling radiologically isolated syndrome) may be a precursor to MS, study author Darin T. Okuda, M.D., from the University of California, San Francisco, was quoted as saying.
However, doctors say patients shouldnt be diagnosed with or treated for MS based on these early MRI scans.
This study sets the stage for establishing a process for evaluating these patients and following them to help determine the risk of developing MS, Dennis Bourdette, M.D., of Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, was quoted as saying. Until then, we should not tell them that they have MS or treat them with disease-modifying therapies. For now, its best to remember the wise advice that we treat the patient, not the MRI scan.
SOURCE: Neurology, published online December 10, 2008
Sign up for a free weekly e-mail on Medical Breakthroughs called First to Know by clicking here.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
|
.gif)
