Few people truly understand what multiple sclerosis is. It is often associated with a severe illness, and our imagination immediately conjures up an image of a disabled person in a wheelchair. What comes to mind? Sympathy, curiosity… relief that it didn’t happen to us. Some people start asking questions: "Can you catch it? Do you have to live a certain way to get it?"
So, what exactly is multiple sclerosis?
Let's start with a brief encyclopedic definition, which states that:
"multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the host's immune system attacks its own cells, in this case, nerve tissue."
It is also called the "disease of many faces" because symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis can mimic many other diseases. But do they just mimic? Maybe they are different diseases that, due to the current state of medical science, are all classified under the umbrella term of MS.
How is MS diagnosed?
Remember, there is no single test for MS. Diagnosing MS involves identifying demyelination and ruling out other diseases that present identical symptoms in patients. For instance, take neuroborreliosis, a nervous system disease caused by a tick bite. Neuroborreliosis produces exactly the same symptoms as multiple sclerosis. How is it ruled out? Through a blood test, and in extreme cases, a cerebrospinal fluid test during a lumbar puncture (link to the article on lumbar puncture).
The effectiveness of available tests varies, and I haven't come across a test with 100% accuracy. Their effectiveness depends on the price, and we should ask ourselves if the free healthcare system (which is free only in name, as we all pay for it) performs the best, hence the most expensive tests available on the market? From my experience, the answer is no… Conducting such a test and receiving a negative result classifies the patient as having MS, claiming that in this case, MS has the face of neuroborreliosis.
How do tests for neuroborreliosis work?
Remember, the test does not detect the spirochete bacteria – it detects the antibodies produced by our immune system to fight the detected bacteria.
Let’s pause here for a moment... What happens if, for various reasons, our immune system does not detect the bacteria? This can indeed happen. Bacteria can temporarily take on different forms, and in some of these forms, they are invisible to our immune system. Let's go further. If they are in an invisible form, the body does not fight them because it simply does not see them and thus does not produce antibodies.
If we conduct the test during this period, it will naturally come out negative. (I remind you that the test detects antibodies fighting the pathogen, which in this case are the bacteria). This example shows how important it is to perform the test at the right time.
Common Mistakes in Diagnosing MS
I know many people who were mistakenly classified as having MS because the diagnosis of neuroborreliosis was dismissed based on a single test. So, is MS neuroborreliosis? Or could it be other pathogens fought by the body that are invisible in tests...? There are no clear answers to these and many other questions about MS today.
Everyone is individual, everyone is different. Find a good doctor open to a holistic approach and help them make the right diagnosis. We know our bodies better than any doctor, even with a stack of test results. In another article, I will describe an incredible case where food intolerances were diagnosed as MS.
Author: Andy - CEO of Biomelius LTD, who was diagnosed with MS in 2017
