Sometimes, MS lesions on the spinal cord can be a distinguishing factor, or first-trimester miscarriages, which are quite common in women with lupus, but not women with MS. MRI, CT scan, echocardiography, x-rays, and other diagnostic criteria are also used. A urinalysis or kidney biopsy may be performed to check for signs of possible kidney problems. In addition, even a person who has lupus will not always produce positive results on this test. Lupus and MS can be diagnosed simultaneously, although that is less common than being diagnosed with one disease, and then later, diagnosed with the other.Īn antinuclear antibody (ANA) test can help to confirm a lupus diagnosis, but other diseases, including MS, can also produce positive ANA results. Sometimes called the great imitator, lupus commonly displays symptoms associated with another disease, such as MS.
Autoimmune disease symptom checklist skin#
Symptoms include achy, swollen joints, extreme fatigue, anemia, skin rash, sun or light sensitivity, hair loss, seizure, and Raynaud's phenomenon, where fingers turn white or blue in the cold. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), is a chronic, inflammatory disease that may affect the skin, joints, blood and kidneys. ADEM runs a monophasic course, which means that there is one episode. The most common cause is prior measles infection, usually in children. Symptoms may include headache, seizure, stiff neck, ataxia, optic neuritis, vomiting, weight loss, lethargy, delirium, and sometimes paralysis of a single limb or one side of the body.ĪDEM differs from MS in that it is often clearly triggered by an immunization, or viral infection. "Certainly, other diseases can look like MS, but the treatments are not the same."Īcute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a demyelinating, neurological disease characterized by inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. Jack Burks, clinical professor of neurology at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and senior editor of the book Multiple Sclerosis: Diagnosis, Medical Management, and Rehabilitation. "If you are diagnosed with MS, you want to be sure that the diagnosis is correct," said Dr. Today, with MS specialists advocating early, aggressive treatment, the sooner a MS diagnosis can be confirmed, the better. Therefore, the more you know about MS mimics, the quicker you and your doctor can eliminate them as possibilities.
Sometimes, the process of elimination is the only way to a MS diagnosis. These are called MS mimics.įamiliarizing yourself with MS mimics and the ways in which they compare to MS can demystify much of the diagnostic process. This is partly because there is no single diagnostic test to establish a definite MS diagnosis, and also because there are many diseases which manifest symptoms similar to MS.
Others remain in limbo for years, wondering if they will ever get a definite MS diagnosis. It is hardly unusual to hear stories of people who have been misdiagnosed several times before finally being diagnosed with MS.
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