Apr 30, 2018
The participant was healthy until age 15 when he had a surfing accident. This accident resulted in a brain injury and cervical spine fractures. A year after this accident, he began having seizures, but these resolved without treatment approximately a year later.
When the participant was 44 years old, he developed left-sided weakness and severe headaches. Over the course of the year, he began experiencing additional symptoms, such as numbness, muscle cramping, and episodes of vision loss. A brain MRI done at this time showed abnormalities (multiple small, scattered T2 white matter hyperintensities). Spine imaging revealed no lesions. He was diagnosed with probable multiple sclerosis and tried numerous therapies, including IV steroids, Rebif injections, Tysabri, and Aubagio. He had episodes of relapses throughout his IV steroid treatment. At age 53, the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was questioned since he did not have brain and spinal cord lesions consistent with multiple sclerosis, there were no oligoclonal bands on cerebrospinal fluid, and he had a history of polyneuropathy.
Since then, the patient’s weakness, pain, and difficulty walking have increased. He has also been experiencing mild, but progressive, cognitive decline and seizure-like events.
If this participant sounds like you or someone you know, please contact us!
