Multiple sclerosis laboratory findings

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Fahimeh Shojaei, M.D.

Overview

An elevated concentration of CSF oligoclonal bands is diagnostic of multiple sclerosis.

Laboratory Findings

An elevated concentration of CSF oligoclonal bands is diagnostic of multiple sclerosis and can be seen in more than 95% of these patients.^[1]^[2]^[3]
Oligoclonal bands are an indicator of disease progression.
CSF analysis is mostly used to rule out other differential diagnosis of MS since it’s not needed in MS patients who have typical clinical presentation and MRI findings.

References

↑ McDonald WI, Compston A, Edan G, Goodkin D, Hartung HP, Lublin FD, McFarland HF, Paty DW, Polman CH, Reingold SC, Sandberg-Wollheim M, Sibley W, Thompson A, van den Noort S, Weinshenker BY, Wolinsky JS (July 2001). “Recommended diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis: guidelines from the International Panel on the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis”. Ann. Neurol. 50 (1): 121–7. PMID 11456302.
↑ Dobson R, Ramagopalan S, Davis A, Giovannoni G (August 2013). “Cerebrospinal fluid oligoclonal bands in multiple sclerosis and clinically isolated syndromes: a meta-analysis of prevalence, prognosis and effect of latitude”. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry. 84 (8): 909–14. doi:10.1136/jnnp-2012-304695. PMID 23431079.
↑ McLean BN, Luxton RW, Thompson EJ (October 1990). “A study of immunoglobulin G in the cerebrospinal fluid of 1007 patients with suspected neurological disease using isoelectric focusing and the Log IgG-Index. A comparison and diagnostic applications”. Brain. 113 ( Pt 5): 1269–89. PMID 2245296.

Overview