Lesions

[Mynamegoeshere1]

How many lesions is normal for a fairly new diagnosis?

[Redwings]

Your question is really too broad to be answered. Although many neurologists say that one or two nonspecific lesions can be found in virtually any adult, lesions aren't really "normal."

There's no "normal" number for a "fairly" new MS diagnosis. Are you wondering if there's some "average" or "median" number for amount of lesions present at diagnosis? That's different.

I was diagnosed with MS with no lesions, with only a brain MRI. It was a misdiagnosis.

[Mynamegoeshere1]

#

I was diagnosed in October with 13 lesions and currently have 17 I think (maybe more) would have to ask my husband. It just seems strange to have so many more forming so quickly. I understand the formal diagnosis having so many because looking back, I've had signs for at least 10 years, but 4 more active within 4 months seems really scary. Just worried.

[0485c10]

In the article"its just the tip of the iceburg" Dr vollmer writes of the importance of the mri in ms treatment. before the mri doc's thought lesion development was episodical like the symptoms are..a person got a lesion they got ms symptoms

.....after the mri doc's learned that about 90-95% of the lesions are clinically silent, producing no symptoms. with the mri they learned a person with ms has about 10-20 inflamatory events (lesions) for every 1 visible relapse.

you can access that article from my home page where i keep a list of links to interesting articles under the date 12/17/2011 labeled "the risk of not treating lesions, article called "Its just the tip of the iceburg"

average # of lesions at diagnosis, i don't think i have ever read. i suppose it depends where a person is in this 10-20 lesion cycle. lesions come and go; they form, become visible on an mri, they heal to the point that the mri is no longer able to "see" them so in effect they disappear. lesions come and go.

[Thinkimjob]

No idea. It's early days, try not to worry.

Never looked too closely at a MRI scan; never want to.

It will get worse, but there are many good years ahead.

[Tinkerbell65]

I sometimes wonder how important the number is anyway. I only have 6- at least that showed active- in my last MRI, however I am already cognitively impaired. I'd rather have 123 and be able to function normally. At the point the MRI is done the lesions may be too small to see anyway. My neuro expressed the opinion that it's more important how the lesions are manifesting in symptoms.

Sorry, I think I'm rambling somewhat, but I'm sure you get the picture.

[rdmc]

Number of lesions can't be linked to severity of disease, so, in a way, it's just a number (isn't that what they say about age too, LOL.)

Seriously though, I have quite a few lesions, but all my symptoms, and they are varied, evidently come as the result of one lesion that's strategically placed.

[Mynamegoeshere1]

Wow

0485c10, you have some really good information on your site. Thank you so much for sharing your homepage with me.