XML Feed for RxPG News   Add RxPG News Headlines to My Yahoo!   Javascript Syndication for RxPG News

Research Health World General
 
  Home
 
   Health
 Aging
 Asian Health
 Events
 Fitness
 Food & Nutrition
 Happiness
 Men's Health
 Mental Health
 Occupational Health
 Parenting
 Public Health
 Sleep Hygiene
 Women's Health
 
   Healthcare
 Africa
 Australia
 Canada Healthcare
 China Healthcare
 India Healthcare
 New Zealand
 South Africa
 UK
 USA
 World Healthcare
 
   Latest Research
 Aging
 Alternative Medicine
 Anaethesia
 Biochemistry
 Biotechnology
 Cancer
 Cardiology
 Clinical Trials
 Cytology
 Dental
 Dermatology
 Embryology
 Endocrinology
 ENT
 Environment
 Epidemiology
 Gastroenterology
 Genetics
 Gynaecology
 Haematology
 Immunology
 Infectious Diseases
 Medicine
 Metabolism
 Microbiology
 Musculoskeletal
 Nephrology
 Neurosciences
  Brain Diseases
  Demyelinating Diseases
   Multiple Sclerosis
  Headache
  Memory
  Neurochemistry
  Neurodegenerative Diseases
  Regeneration
  Spinal Cord Diseases
  Stroke
  Taste
  Trigeminal Neuralgia
 Obstetrics
 Ophthalmology
 Orthopedics
 Paediatrics
 Pathology
 Pharmacology
 Physiology
 Physiotherapy
 Psychiatry
 Radiology
 Rheumatology
 Sports Medicine
 Surgery
 Toxicology
 Urology
 
   Medical News
 Awards & Prizes
 Epidemics
 Launch
 Opinion
 Professionals
 
   Special Topics
 Ethics
 Euthanasia
 Evolution
 Feature
 Odd Medical News
 Climate
Search

Last Updated: Nov 18, 2006 - 1:55:25 PM

Multiple Sclerosis Channel
subscribe to Multiple Sclerosis newsletter

Latest Research : Neurosciences : Demyelinating Diseases : Multiple Sclerosis

   DISCUSS   |   EMAIL   |   PRINT
Multiple sclerosis diagnostic guidelines (McDonald criteria) updated
Nov 10, 2005 - 1:22:00 PM, Reviewed by: Dr.

The new criteria also conclude that only two separate MRI scans, rather than three, are needed to evaluate whether the disease is progressing.

 
An international panel of neurologists has updated the current guidelines for diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS), strengthening the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The guidelines, published online November 10, 2005 in the Annals of Neurology, update the "McDonald criteria," created five years ago and named after the chair of the previous panel, Prof W. Ian McDonald of the Institute of Neurology in London.

"We hope, and trust, that these revisions will allow an even earlier diagnosis of MS, without any loss of diagnostic accuracy," said Chris H. Polman, M.D., of the Free University Medical Center in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and chair of the current panel.

Multiple sclerosis is an enigmatic disease of the nervous system and results in the loss of myelin, a substance that normally insulates nerve fibers and speeds electrical conduction through the fibers.

Depending on which nerve fibers are hindered, patients can experience problems ranging from weakness and clumsiness to numbness, visual disturbances, and even emotional and intellectual alterations. In some patients, MS manifests itself in cycles of relapse and remission, while in others the disease progresses steadily.

"The changes in diagnostic criteria for primary progressive multiple sclerosis is particularly helpful," said Robert P. Lisak, M.D., of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and chair of the American Neurological Association's public information committee. "The ability to make the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis early and accurately is important for both patient care and for clinical research including clinical trials of new treatments."

There is increasing evidence that MS drugs such as interferon beta and glatiramer acetate are most effective when started early in the disease course.

The original McDonald Criteria were the first to incorporate MRI testing into the traditional tool kit of neurological history and examination, along with various laboratory exams. Brain imaging can show physicians the damaged sites (termed 'lesions') in the brain and spinal cord.

"A series of studies performed during the last few years, with improved techniques for spinal cord MRI, shows that it is a powerful tool not only to demonstrate MS lesions, but also to exclude alternative diagnoses," said Polman.

The new criteria also conclude that only two separate MRI scans, rather than three, are needed to evaluate whether the disease is progressing.
 

- "Diagnostic Criteria for Multiple Sclerosis: 2005 Revisions to the 'McDonald Criteria'," by Chris H. Polman, Stephen C. Reingold, Gilles Edan, Massimo Filippi, Hans-Peter Hartung, Ludwig Kappos, Fred D. Lublin, Luanne M. Metz, Henry F. McFarland, Paul W. O'Connor, Magnhild Sandberg-Wollheim, Alan J. Thompson, Brian G. Weinshenker, and Jerry S. Wolinsky, Annals of Neurology; Published Online: November 10, 2005 (DOI: 10.1002/ana.20673).
 

www.aneuroa.org

 
Subscribe to Multiple Sclerosis Newsletter
E-mail Address:

 

The Annals of Neurology, the preeminent neurological journal worldwide, is published by the American Neurological Association, the world's oldest and most prestigious neurological association. The 1,500 members of the ANA--selected from among the most respected academic neurologists and neuroscientists in North America and other countries--are devoted to furthering the understanding and treatment of nervous system disorders. For more information, visit www.aneuroa.org.

Related Multiple Sclerosis News
Smoking associated with rapid progression of multiple sclerosis
Testosterone may help men with multiple sclerosis
Age of onset but not severity of Multiple Sclerosis inherited from parents
Cause of nerve fiber damage in multiple sclerosis identified
Fampridine may hold promise for treating Multiple Sclerosis
CNS can send out signals to invite autoimmune attacks
Natalizumab Re-approved for Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis
Efficacy in relapse rate reduction beyond five years shown for interferon beta 1b in Multiple Sclerosis
Systematic Review Questions Accuracy of MRI in Multiple Sclerosis
Statins could prove useful in treating MS


For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 

© Copyright 2004 onwards by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited
Contact Us