August 7, 2003
United Press International
Boston
A New England Journal of Medicine study has found that a blood test measuring two antibodies can help diagnose multiple sclerosis.
The antibodies -- substances one's immune system produces in MS -- may attack the myelin, a protective coating that insulates the nerves.
Healthology Press reported the the test was given to 103 participants who had had one neurological episode, as well as brain imaging and spinal fluid tests that indicated a high risk of MS.
The Austrian researchers found 95 percent of patients with both antibodies
were eventually diagnosed with MS; 83 percent with one antibody were later
diagnosed; but only 23 percent with neither antibodies went on to be diagnosed
with the disease.
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