July 11,2001 NEW YORK (AP) - New guidelines were announced to help doctors more quickly diagnose multiple sclerosis, the central nervous system disease affecting 350,000 Americans.
The criteria were recommended by an international panel of experts, organized by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. They were published in this month's issue of Annals of Neurology.
The new criteria keep the traditional diagnostic test of requiring two separate attacks of the disease. But they also provide guidelines for using MRIs and other analyses to determine what is a second attack.
Decades can elapse before the second clear-cut "attack" of the disease. Experts said they hope the new guidelines will help doctors accurately diagnose MS in people who have had only one attack or in those who have had no attacks, but have had a steady progression of disability.
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
