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Family hx of MS

I recently had an annual MRI for follow-up of a brain aneurysm repair.  My PMD said the MRI impression was a 10mm high signal intensity plaque in the periventricular white matter on the right with involvement of the corpus callosum.  I have been referred back to the neurologist.  I have had an annual MRI for the past 5 years and have never had an abnormal result.  The PMD said it could have been there on the previous scans but if they were read by a different radiologist then they may not have listed the plaque?!  I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 2 years ago.  I frequently have numbness and tingling in my extremities and just recently had a week episode of "electrical shock" feelings in my back/neck when I moved a certain way.  I also suffer from migraine headaches.  I suffer from fatigue often and blurred/double vision. I always have pain in my muscles/joints. Some of the symptoms of MS and fibromyalgia are similar.
Can one plaque mean a diagnosis of MS?
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667078 tn?1316000935
If it were me I might seek out a MS specialist. I had three llesions and it took several neurologists years to diagnose MS.

Alex
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6881121 tn?1392830788
In our case, one daughter was diagnosed with Pediatric Onset MS...her sister is her identical twin, which has 26- 31% lifetime risk of also being diagnosed.  The only other family member we know of is their biologic paternal grandmother.
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695104 tn?1442193588
Interesting to hear how your study turns out. I can't lie, I am concerned for my son. And my grandson... As parents we never want to see our kids go thru "junk". My hubby also has Addisons. I have Lupus and IC.

Even though I loathe the idea, I know the genetic disposition for our son to have some type of autoimmune disease is increased.

Regards,
C
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695104 tn?1442193588
Excellent info from Kyle.
My hubby was diagnosed 2010. He has an aunt on maternal side who was diagnosed in the 1990's. No others in his family that we're aware of with it as of yet.

My hubby's Neurologist did tell us that any kids we have should get a vitamin D level check, make sure it's normal or even high normal. We have 1 son (28). I finally thru "encouragement" (nagging??) got him to get it checked. It was "in the tanker", so he was on high dose for 6 weeks, and currently has to take 2000 iu/day. My hubby takes 6000 iu/day, even at that his levels are only normal.

I think theres something to the genetics of how some people synthesize vitamin D. Neuro told hubby it seems he just doesn't process it. And he's outside a lot, so it's not that. He can't be out when it's hot like he used to be, but he's still out a fair amount.

Sorry if this seems off topic, it just stuck with me when the Neuro stressed the vitamin D stuff.

Good luck with your tests, and do keep us posted.
Regards,
C
Helpful - 0
6881121 tn?1392830788
While most people with MS do not have another family member with MS, the recent genetic research is starting to show that in SOME cases, there is a gene line involved, and you will find SOME families with multiple cases of MS over multiple generations.  More to be heard of on this in the next few years.  I myself am registered in a study of first degree relatives of someone with MS, so hopefully this study can figure out some more.
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Avatar universal
Thanks so much for the information.  I will definitely keep you posted.  My mother was told  by a PMD that he thought she had MS.  She never followed up.  My mother's sister does have MS and is receiving treatment.
Helpful - 0
1831849 tn?1383228392
Welcome to the group :-)

Sure, one lesion can indicate MS, but so can no lesions. An MRI finding is typically combined with an extensive clinical exam (prefereably by a neuro that specializes in MS), blood work to rule out the many MS mimics, nerve conduction studies, evoked potential tests, lumbar punctures...

Not everyone goes through all of these tests, but most of us have gone through some combination of them. The one tat is mst importan is the clinical' exam. There is no smoking gun test for MS. It is a clinical diagnosis, meaning it is a diagnosis made by a clinician after considering all of the data.

There have been great advancements in MRI technology. The standard now is 3Tesla machines. Until very recently 1.5Tesla machines were tops. This means that lesions not seen previously may now appear, if your lates study was done on a new, more powerful machine. Another possibility is that the latest MRI may have employed a protocol that too thinner slices. This too would allow a previously unseen lesion to appear.

You are on the right track. The neuro should be able to provide some direction to your search. Let us know what they say.

Also, you manetion Family hx in the topic header but no in your post. There is no defined genetic link in MS. Having a 1st degree family member (mother, father, sister, brother) does make you around twice as likely as anyone else to develop MS. Thise odds are still pretty long :-)

Kyle


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