CLEVELAND — The McDonald Criteria for diagnosing multiple sclerosis were updated in 2024. The revised criteria enable doctors to diagnose the condition using MS-specific biomarkers and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect early indicators of the disease.

Multiple sclerosis is a neurological condition for which no specific diagnostic test exists, and there is no cure. Doctors utilize the McDonald Criteria to assist in confirming or ruling out the condition. Treatments can provide symptom relief and delay disease progression. There are more than two dozen approved medications available to help manage symptoms and limit disabilities.

Multiple sclerosis often begins years before the first attack. Patients tend to respond more effectively to treatment when therapy is initiated earlier. Neurologist Daniel Ontaneda said, "Multiple sclerosis is a condition that is very treatable." He added, "One of the things that we have to focus on is making sure that we get the diagnosis done early and accurately."

With the 2024 update, physicians can now diagnose multiple sclerosis earlier. Ontaneda said, "We can be pretty confident that a person has MS even if they haven't yet developed classical or typical symptoms of multiple sclerosis." He added, "It completely changes the panorama of what that individual's life will look like."