There’s no single test that can prove you have multiple sclerosis. Your doctor will use a few different ones to check you. These may include:
- Blood tests to rule out diseases that cause similar symptoms, like Lyme disease and AIDS
- Checks of your balance, coordination, vision, and other functions to see how well your nerves are working
- A test that makes detailed pictures of the structures in your body, called an MRI
- Analysis of the liquid that cushions your brain and spinal cord, called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). People with MS usually have specific proteins in their CSF.
- Tests called evoked potentials that measure the electrical activity in your brain
- OCT (Optical coherence tomography) used to detect changes in the retina which could warn of brain atrophy