Early warning signs of multiple sclerosis may appear 15 years before diagnosis
A new study has found that signs of multiple sclerosis, or MS, may emerge more than a decade before the first recognized symptoms, reshaping current understanding of the disease's timeline and raising hopes for earlier detection and intervention.
Researchers from British Columbia analyzed health care data from over 2,000 people diagnosed with MS and more than 10,000 matched individuals without the disease. By tracking physician visits over a 25-year span, the study, published in JAMA, found that patients with MS began using health services more frequently up to 14 to 15 years before symptom onset.
One of the earliest indicators was a rise in visits for mental health concerns and vague, ill-defined symptoms like fatigue or unexplained pain well before patients sought care for neurological issues. Neurology and ophthalmology consultations, which are more directly tied to MS, increased notably only eight to nine years before diagnosis.
“MS may begin much earlier than previously recognized, with mental health-related issues as early indicators,” the study said.
The findings suggest the existence of a prolonged “prodromal phase” of MS, when subtle symptoms are present but the disease remains undiagnosed. Psychiatry visits were elevated as early as 12 years before diagnosis, and nervous system-related visits didn’t peak until just one year before symptoms began.
Researchers said better understanding this early phase could help clinicians recognize MS sooner, potentially allowing for earlier treatment and improved outcomes. The study also supported the integration of psychiatric, neurological and general medical observations to identify at-risk individuals well before traditional diagnostic markers appear.
Read more: JAMA
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