Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease that can mimic some of the symptoms of MS such as fatigue and joint pain.
Hypoxic-ischemic vasculopathy, specially small-vessel disease, inflammatory disorders, vasculitis, and non-MS idiopathic inflammatory disorders, as well as some toxic, metabolic, and infectious disorders, may present mimicking MS on MR examinations and should be included in the differential diagnosis of MS-like lesions ...
A wide range of conditions can be mistaken for MS, including: migraine, cerebral small vessel disease, fibromyalgia, functional neurological disorders, and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders, along with uncommon inflammatory, infectious and metabolic conditions (1, 3).
These include fibromyalgia and vitamin B12 deficiency, muscular dystrophy (MD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), migraine, hypo-thyroidism, hypertension, Beçhets, Arnold-Chiari deformity, and mitochondrial disorders, although your neurologist can usually rule them out quite easily.
There are no specific tests for MS . Instead, a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis often relies on ruling out other conditions that might produce similar signs and symptoms, known as a differential diagnosis. Your doctor is likely to start with a thorough medical history and examination.
But despite some similarities, “for the most part, there is no mistaking symptoms of MS with fibromyalgia,” says Philip Cohen, MD, a rheumatologist, professor of medicine and professor of microbiology and immunology at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia.
They're not the same, but they do have a lot of similarities. Both MS and GBS are autoimmune diseases. This means they cause your body's immune system to attack its own tissues. They both start when the immune system attacks and damages something called myelin.
Miller Fisher syndrome is a rare, acquired nerve disease that is considered to be a variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome. It is characterized by abnormal muscle coordination, paralysis of the eye muscles, and absence of the tendon reflexes. Like Guillain-Barré syndrome, symptoms may be preceded by a viral illness.
Early symptoms of GBS include weakness and tingling. People with GBS usually first feel these symptoms in both legs. Some people then have weakness and tingling in their arms and upper body. The weakness can increase until people cannot use some muscles.
The first symptoms of Guillain-Barré syndrome include weakness or tingling sensations. They usually start in the legs, and can spread to the arms and face. For some people, these symptoms can lead to paralysis of the legs, arms, or muscles in the face.
The symptoms can be similar, but people with fibromyalgia are more likely to experience depression, irritable bowel syndrome, and widespread, persistent pain. Symptoms more common with MS include weakness, vision problems, muscle spasms, and bowel or bladder issues.
About 5 percent of people who are confirmed to have MS do not initially have brain lesions evidenced by MRI. However, the longer a person goes without brain or spinal cord lesions on MRI, the more important it becomes to look for other possible diagnoses.
Multiple sclerosis is a T-cell–mediated autoimmune disease in which inflammation is sustained by autoreactive T cells directed against components of myelin.
There are three main investigations that, because of their high specificity and sensitivity, are valuable in the diagnosis of MS: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), evoked potentials; and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination for the presence of oligoclonal bands (OCBs).
While there is no definitive blood test for MS, blood tests can rule out other conditions that cause symptoms similar to those of MS, including lupus erythematosis, Sjogren's, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, some infections, and rare hereditary diseases.
MRIs are not a 100 percent positive in the diagnosis of MS. In 5 percent of the people showing clinical MS disease activity, lesions were not visible on the MRI. However, if follow-up MRI studies continue to show no lesions, the MS diagnosis should be reconsidered.
Nail problems are common, and they are not usually serious. If a person has multiple sclerosis (MS), nail problems can cause pain or discomfort. While nail issues are not directly related to the disease, determining the cause may help prevent a person with MS from experiencing further discomfort.
Fibromyalgia, also called fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body.
Neuropathic pain happens from “short circuiting” of the nerves that carry signals from the brain to the body because of damage from MS. These pain sensations feel like burning, stabbing, sharp and squeezing sensations. In MS you can experience acute neuropathic pain and chronic neuropathic pain.
Key diagnostic findings include: Recent onset, within days to at most four weeks of symmetric weakness, usually starting in the legs. Abnormal sensations such as pain, numbness, and tingling in the feet that accompany or even occur before weakness. Absent or diminished deep tendon reflexes in weak limbs.
Examination. A GP or specialist may: ask about your symptoms, such as how long they've lasted and whether they're getting worse – muscle weakness that's getting worse over time is a common sign of Guillain-Barré syndrome. examine your hands, feet or limbs to check for symptoms such as numbness.