Challenges and Advancements in Biomarkers for Accurate Diagnosis in MS: Andrew Solomon, MD

WATCH TIME: 5 minutes

"We think of MS as a challenging diagnosis. Sometimes there's many disorders that can mimic the clinical already radiological presentation of MS. Some of our recent data on MS misdiagnosis suggests that there's a lot of common disorders like migraine or cerebral vascular disease that are mistaken for MS. I think this suggest that some of this has to do with over reliance on imaging abnormalities."

Diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS) is often a challenge in the field even while knowledge about the complexities of the disease continues to expand and diagnostic criteria continue to evolve. Previous data surrounding the causes for incorrect diagnosis of MS has informed further approaches to the types of syndromes that may mimic MS and the accuracy of diagnosis.¹

At the 2023 Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) Annual Meeting, held May 31 to June 3, in Aurora, Colorado, as part of the John F. Kurtzke Memorial Lecture, Andrew Solomon, MD, gave a presentation on the misdiagnosis of MS. During the lecture, Solomon explained why MS is currently often misdiagnosed even with the advanced diagnostic tools present today, and how to improve the accuracy of diagnosis.²

At the meeting, Solomon, associate professor of neurological sciences and chief of the Multiple Sclerosis Division at the University of Vermont in Burlington, sat down in an interview with NeurologyLive® to provide an overview of his talk. He talked about the consequences of misdiagnosis in MS for both patients and the healthcare system. Solomon also spoke about how the medical community can improve education and dissemination efforts to prevent misdiagnosis of MS. In addition, he discussed some of the emerging diagnostic biomarkers that hold the potential for accurately diagnosing MS.

Click here for more coverage of CMSC 2023.

REFERENCES
1. Solomon AJ. Diagnosis, Differential Diagnosis, and Misdiagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2019;25(3):611-635. doi:10.1212/CON.0000000000000728
2. Solomon A. MS Diagnosis and Misdiagnosis: Challenges and Progress. Presented at: 2023 CMSC Annual Meeting; May 31-June 3; Aurora, CO. LEC1.