In the future, people suspected of having multiple sclerosis may only have to undergo a simple blood test. While medical science hasn't reached that point yet, a small study at Wake Forest University suggested that it might be possible.1
"In some patients, it is difficult to conclusively diagnose MS," explained Jagannadha Avasarala, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of Neurology at Wake Forest, and the study's chief researcher. "Identifying markers for disease has become a rapidly evolving science, particularly in cancer diagnostics. In the field of MS, however, there have been no similar studies."
Avasarala says this is the first known study of a potential blood test to diagnose multiple sclerosis.
A Demyelinating Disease
Multiple sclerosis is believed to be an autoimmune disease that targets the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Surrounding the nerve fibers in this part of the body is a fatty tissue known as myelin, which helps the fibers conduct electrical impulses.
But in a person with MS, it's thought that the immune system mistakenly recognizes myelin as foreign, and attacks it. Once myelin is destroyed or damaged, the ability of nerves to conduct electrical impulses is then disrupted, manifesting as the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.2
From Complex to Simple Diagnoses
The disease has traditionally been diagnosed using a battery of tests that include patient history, physical examination, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and lab tests like lumbar puncture (spinal tap).
For the study, Avasarala and his colleagues compared blood samples taken from 25 patients newly diagnosed with MS with a set of blood samples collected from 25 healthy people. They were looking for a distinct pattern of proteins or certain building blocks of proteins in the MS patients. Establishing a distinct protein pattern in the individuals with MS could extrapolate to mean that it is characteristic only of this disease.
All of the MS patients who took part in the study had the relapsing-remitting form of the disease—the most common, affecting approximately 85 percent of patients. This form is characterized by attacks interspersed with stable periods free of symptoms. None of the patients was taking medication during the study, and their average age was 29. The average of the healthy participants was 28.
Breaking the Code
"In this preliminary investigation, we found a distinct pattern in the MS group that revealed the existence of three markers for the disease," Avasarala said. "This suggests the potential for developing a blood test that could allow us to identify the earliest changes that represent MS and help in its diagnosis."
The blood analysis of this trio of proteins can be adapted to include all the various types of MS, Avasarala and his colleagues stressed.
It's believed about 400,000 Americans have been diagnosed with MS. Every week, about 200 additional people receive such a diagnosis, according to estimates. Around the world, the disease afflicts some 2.5 million people.2
1. Avasarala JR, Wall MR, Wolfe GM. Diagnosis of multiple sclerosis using MALDI/TOF and serum proteomic pattern analysis: discovery of 3 biomarkers. J Mol Neurosci 2005 Mar 15;25(1):119-26.
2. National Multiple Sclerosis Society. What is MS? Available at: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/What%20is%20MS.asp. Accessed March 18, 2005.
John Martin is a long-time health journalist and an editor for Priority Healthcare. His credits include coverage of health news for the website of Fox Television's The Health Network, and articles for the New York Post and other consumer and trade publications.
