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« Multiple sclerosis (MS) can be difficult to recognize because its first signs – such as fatigue, headache, pain and mental health problems – are often general and easily confused with other conditions “Explains Dr. Helen Tremlett, neurology professor at the University of British Columbia.
But by analyzing medical records of more than 12,000 patients over a period of 25 years preceding the appearance of symptoms, the researcher and her team observed a gradual and significant increase in medical consultations in future patients with SE, according to a precise chronological scheme. These results were published on 1is August in the review JAMA Network Open :
- 15 years before symptoms: an increase in consultations in general practitioners for symptoms such as fatigue, pain, dizziness and mental health problems (anxiety, depression);
- 12 years before: an increase in visits to psychiatrists;
- 8-9 years before: more consultations in neurologists and ophthalmologists, in connection with blurred vision or eye pain problems;
- 3-5 years before: increased appeal to emergency and radiology services;
- 1 year before: a peak of consultations in several specialties, notably neurology, emergency medicine and radiology.
« These patterns suggest that MS knows a long prodromic phase (relating to a prodrome, a sign of a complex disease, editor’s note), where something happens below the surface without having yet declared itself as a sepspecify the authors. Mental health problems seem to be among the first indicators. »
Specifying that all people who have these general symptoms will not develop MS, scientists explain that ” This characterization of the prodromic phase could one day accelerate the diagnosis and improve the results for patients. »
Source : University of British Colombia, Jama Network Open