Diagnosing MS is fairly straightforward.  A diagnosis of MS relies primarily on viewing patches of destroyed myelin on an MRI scan.  However, there is no single test that unequivocally detects MS and other conditions produce MS-like symptoms.  Physicians use a variety of tools to rule out other possible disorders and perform a series of laboratory tests which, if positive, confirm the diagnosis.

It's essential to note here that a number of other diseases may produce symptoms similar to those seen in MS.  Conditions with an intermittent course and MS-like lesions of the brain's white matter include:

• Lupus erythematosus
• Polyarteritis
• Syringomyelia
• Tropical spastic paraparesis
• Some cancers
• and certain tumors that compress the brainstem or spinal cord

Physicians will also need to rule out stroke, neurosyphilis, spinocerebellar ataxias, pernicious anemia, diabetes, Sjogren's disease, Epstein-Barr or herpes simplex B viruses and vitamin B12 deficiency as possible diagnoses as well.  Recent reports suggest that the neurological problems associated with Lyme disease may present a clinical picture much like MS.

An MS diagnosis will begin first at your general physician's office.  Your family doctor will complete a full medical history and physical examination including necessary blood tests.  Blood tests can help determine if conditions like vitamin deficiencies are causing symptoms that mirror MS symptoms in your body.

If symptoms indicate the possibility of MS, your doctor may then refer you to a neurologist, a specialist trained in diseases of the nervous system).  Your doctor or neurologist will then order an MRI scan of your brain and/or spinal cord to look for the characteristic patches of MS.  MRIs can also help confirm or exclude the possibility that a patient is experiencing a brain tumor or disc herniation of the neck or lower back instead of MS.

If a diagnosis is still questionable, spinal fluid may be taken via a lumbar puncture, or "spinal tap", to investigate a sample of cerebrospinal fluid for proteins associated with the disease.

Getting multiple sclerosis symptoms under control at early can help you to reduce your chances of developing complications later.  To learn more about treatments for multiple sclerosis, continue reading.