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Brian G. Weinshenker, MD, FRCP(C)

Arch Neurol. 2007;64(6):899-901.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The definition of multiple sclerosis (MS) is based on a single principle: lesions in the central nervous system disseminated in time and space, subject to the caveat that the syndromes used to define the lesions are typical of MS as recognized by a health care professional familiar with that diagnosis. Although a series of iterations of these diagnostic criteria have succeeded one another, there has been no fundamental change in that overriding principle. Many neurological conditions, including metabolic, inflammatory, and vascular diseases, lead to multifocal and relapsing manifestations. Accordingly, and considering the nonspecific symptoms that may occur in MS, many diseases masquerade as and are misdiagnosed as MS. Even when "lesions" are restricted to syndromes characteristic of MS, such as optic neuritis and myelitis, their associated disease states may be more appropriately classified as idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases distinct from MS.¹ Such disorders include acute . . . [Full Text of this Article]

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Author Affiliation: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minn.

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