Home > MS Clinical Care and Research Professionals > Resources to Support Clinical Care > MS Clinical Mgmt > Diagnosing MS > Suggestive Features vs. Red Flags
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Features Suggestive of MS |
Red Flags for Other Diagnoses |
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Relapses and remissions |
Steady progression |
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Onset between ages 15 and 50 |
Rigidity; sustained dystonia |
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Optic neuritis |
Seizures |
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Lhermitte sign |
Early dementia |
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Internuclear ophthalmoplegia |
Onset before age 10 or after age 50 |
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Intractable fatigue |
Absence of sensory or genitourinary symptoms |
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Uhthoff phenomenon |
Deficit developing within minutes |
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Cortical deficits (aphasia, apraxia, alexia, neglect) |
To see a description (Rudick et al., 1986) of ten patients mis-diagnosed with MS, and the findings that pointed to the need for an alternative explanations of their symptoms and medical findings, click here.
In a patient that presents with signs, symptoms and other features consistent with demyelinating disease, the next step in the diagnostic process is to rule out possible non-demyelinating causes.