ALS vs MS?
Can one be accidently diagnosed with Ms but actually have ALS? My uncle who had PPMS at 67 passed away from Pneumonia and my other uncle within a year of his death passed away at 70 from ALS, his ALS was diagnosed at 69. Both their blood work came back as positive for the gene "C9" which is apparently an ALS gene. They think my uncle with ALS had it for 16 years prior to being diagnosed. He was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia years prior to his ALS diagnosis.
I guess my question is are there definitive ways Neurologists can tell the difference between ALS and MS? Can I possibly have ALS instead of MS? I am submitting my blood and LP samples along with MRI's for research purposes, I would love input on this if possible.
I have been out of the loop for over a year, glad to be back!
Thanks ☺️
@sonia1984 , ALS should show up in the Cerebro-Spinal Fluid (CSF) from the Lumber Puncture. But, it'll be wise to check with your Neuro.
@Stumbler At the time of diagnosis I had reiterated my fears of ALS and they told me I most definately had MS. They had stated that they found protein associated with MS in my CSF I'm assuming they checked everything over and got it right but having that "C9" gene would scare me a bit. I guess I'll just have to become a guinea pig. I'm aware that just because you have a gene, doesn't necessarily mean you would get the disease but still something to think about 🤷.