The differential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Objective: This article will discuss the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), with particular attention to differentiating it from other diseases that can mimic it.

Methods: We reviewed our own data, as well as the published experience on the differential diagnosis of MS and the most common errors leading to misdiagnosis.

Results: Psychiatric diseases are mistaken for multiple sclerosis more often than any other conditions. Other multifocal illnesses or white-matter diseases are seldom confused with multiple sclerosis.

Conclusion: Neurologists are most likely to misdiagnose multiple sclerosis in patients who have psychiatric problems or who have uncommon presentations of common diseases such as migraine, stroke, or neuropathies.