Table 1.
Disease Category | Examples |
---|---|
Infectious | Syphilis, Lyme disease, HIV |
Inflammatory | Sarcoidosis |
Other autoimmune | Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjogren syndrome, Behçet disease |
Other MS mimics | Neuromyelitis optica, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis |
Metabolic | Vitamin B12 deficiency, nitrous oxide toxicity, copper deficiency |
Genetic | Leukodystrophy, mitochondrial disorder |
Vascular | CNS vasculitis, small vessel ischemic disease |
Anatomical or structural | Compressive lesions |
Neoplastic or paraneoplastic | Lymphoma, glioma |
Special considerations with the presentation of an isolated optic neuritis: glaucoma, sarcoidosis, compressive lesions, neuromyelitis optica, other autoimmune diseases (SLE, Sjogren, Behçet, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome), infection (West Nile virus, HIV, varicella zoster virus, cryptococcus, toxoplasmosis, syphilis, histoplasmosis, Lyme disease), B12 deficiency, retinal artery occlusion, retinal detachment, ischemic optic neuropathy, infiltrative optic neuropathy, hereditary optic neuropathy, recurrent idiopathic optic neuritis. | |
Special considerations with the presentation of an isolated myelopathy: compressive lesions, neoplasms, neuromyelitis optica, other autoimmune (SLE, Sjogren), sarcoidosis, infections (syphilis, Lyme disease, viral, TB, mycoplasma, HIV), ischemia/infarction, epidural abscess, spinal epidural hematoma, spinal arteriorvenous malformation, dural venous fistula, cervical stenosis, syrinx, toxic/metabolic (B12 deficiency, nitrous oxide toxicity, copper deficiency), hereditary spastic paraparesis, adrenomyeloneuropathy, idiopathic transverse myelitis. | |
Special considerations with the presentation of an isolated ataxia or brainstem syndrome: spinocerebellar ataxias, Wernicke syndrome, vitamin E deficiency, viral or postinfectious encephalitis, neoplasm, cerebrovascular disease, cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), myasthenia gravis. |
Abbreviations: MS, multiple sclerosis; TB, tuberculosis.
a Produced with guidance from Rinker and Cross.17