Diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system that usually has onset between 20 and 40 years of age. The causes of MS are unknown, but it probably evolves among genetically susceptible individuals as an infrequent response to environmental factors. The diagnosis is based on careful evaluation of the disease history, clinical examination as well as paraclinical examination, aiming to document disseminated disease in both time and space. No cure is available, but corticosteroids can be used for relapses, various symptomatic treatments exist, and several long-term, disease-modifying therapies are available. This article reviews the diagnosis and treatment of MS, focusing on treatment of relapses and disease-modifying therapies.