Vilaseca A, Tintoré M, Carbonell-Mirabent P, Rodríguez-Barranco M, Arévalo MJ, Ariño H, Auger C, Bollo L, Carvajal R, Castilló J, Cobo-Calvo A, Comabella M, Fernández V, Galan I, Midaglia L, Mongay-Ochoa N, Nos C, Otero-Romero S, Pappolla A, Rio J, Rodriguez-Acevedo B, Sastre-Garriga J, Sceppacuercia S, Tagliani P, Tur C, Vidal-Jordana A, Villacieros-Álvarez J, Zabalza A, Rovira À, Montalban X, and Arrambide G
Background: It is essential to exclude alternative diagnoses to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS). However, detailed descriptions of alternative diagnoses in patients with suspected MS presenting with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) are limited., Objectives: To describe alternative diagnoses in patients presenting with CIS suggestive of MS., Methods: We conducted a descriptive analysis of patients from the Barcelona CIS cohort including subjects under 50 years of age with a CIS suggestive of MS but later diagnosed with conditions other than MS. We collected clinical, biological, and radiological data, and described the alternative etiologies identified., Results: Among 1468 patients in the Barcelona CIS cohort, 100 (6.8%) were diagnosed with an alternative condition. The most common neurological syndrome was optic neuritis (43.0%). Four patients (4.0%) had inflammatory-demyelinating lesions in at least two typical MS topographies on baseline magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and 2 (2.0%) met the 2017 McDonald MS criteria. The most common etiologies were immune-mediated diseases (42.0%), especially MOGAD, followed by functional neurological disorders (15.0%) and vascular disease (10.0%)., Conclusion: The range of alternative diagnoses encountered during the MS diagnostic process highlights the need to rule out better explanations than MS. However, current MS diagnostic criteria effectively identify patients without MS in this context., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: A.V. has received a Rio Hortega grant (CM22/00247) by Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). A.V-.J. has received support has received support for contracts Juan Rodes (JR16/00024) and from Fondo de Investigación en Salud (PI17/02162 and PI22/01589) from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain, and has engaged in consulting and/or participated as speaker in events organized by Roche, Novartis, and Merck. A.P. has received funding travel from Roche and speaking honoraria from Novartis. He performed an ECTRIMS Clinical Training Fellowship program during 2021, and is currently performing an MSIF-ARSEP Fellowship program. N.M-.O. has a predoctoral grant Rio Hortega, from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CM21/00018). She has also received speaking honoraria and travel expenses from Merck and Roche. L.B. is supported by a 1-year stipend endowed by the NMSS/AAN John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research awarded to Prof. Xavier Montalban in 2022. B.R-.A. has received speaking honoraria from Merck and honoraria for consulting services from Novartis. A.Z. has a predoctoral grant Rio Hortega, from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain (CM22/00237), received travel expenses for scientific meetings from Biogen-Idec, Merck-Serono and Novartis; speaking honoraria from Eisai; and a study grant from Novartis. J.R. has received speaking honoraria and personal compensation for participating on Advisory Boards from Biogen-Idec, Genzyme, Janssen, Merck- Serono, Novartis, Teva, Roche, and Sanofi-Aventis. R.C. is currently being funded by the Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca. In 2023, he was awarded with a Research Training Program from the European Charcot Foundation. From 2021 to 2022, he received an ECTRIMS Clinical and Research Fellowship training. He has also engaged in consulting and/or participated as speaker in events organized by Roche, Novartis, BIIB-Colombia, Merck, Sanofi. H.A. has received grant from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; JR22/00072. A.C-.C. has received grant from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; JR19/00007. G.A. has received speaking honoraria and consulting services or participation in advisory boards from Sanofi, Roche and Horizon Therapeutics/Amgen; and travel expenses for scientific meetings from Novartis, Roche, ECTRIMS and EAN. M.C. has received compensation for consulting services and speaking honoraria from Bayer Schering Pharma, Merck-Serono, Biogen-Idec, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi- Aventis, Genzyme, and Novartis; Received grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain: PI19/01590 and PI22/01570. She is editor for Europe of Multiple Sclerosis Journal - Experimental, Translational and Clinical. J.V-.Á. has received a grant from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; FI21/00282. C.T. is currently being funded by a Junior Leader La Caixa Fellowship (fellowship code is LCF/BQ/PI20/11760008), awarded by “la Caixa” Foundation (ID 100010434). She has also received the 2021 Merck’s Award for the Investigation in MS, awarded by Fundación Merck Salud (Spain) and a grant awarded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España (PI21/01860). In 2015, she received an ECTRIMS Post-doctoral Research Fellowship and has received funding from the UK MS Society. She is a member of the Editorial Board of Neurology and Multiple Sclerosis Journal. She has also received honoraria from Roche and Novartis and is a steering committee member of the O’HAND trial and of the Consensus group on Follow-on DMTs. J.S-.G. serves as co-Editor for Europe on the editorial board of Multiple Sclerosis Journal and as Editor-in-Chief in Revista de Neurología, receives research support from Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (19/950) and has served as a consultant/speaker for Biogen, Celgene/Bristol Meyers Squibb, Sanofi, Novartis and Merck. M.T. has received compensation for consulting services, speaking honoraria and research support from Almirall, Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen-Idec, Genzyme, Janssen, Merck-Serono, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, Viela Bio and Teva Pharmaceuticals. Data Safety Monitoring Board for Parexel and UCB Biopharma. A.R. serves/ed on scientific advisory boards for Novartis, Sanofi-Genzyme, Synthetic MR, TensorMedical, Roche, and Biogen, and has received speaker honoraria from Bayer, Sanofi-Genzyme, Merck-Serono, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Novartis, Roche, Bristol-Myers and Biogen, is CMO and co-founder of TensorMedical, and receives research support from Fondo de Investigación en Salud (PI19/00950) from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain. X.M. has received speaking honoraria and travel expenses for participation in scientific meetings, has been a steering committee member of clinical trials or participated in advisory boards of clinical trials in the past years with Abbvie, Actelion, Alexion, Biogen, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Celgene, EMD Serono, Genzyme, Hoffmann-La Roche, Immunic, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Medday, Merck, Mylan, Nervgen, Novartis, Sandoz, Sanofi-Genzyme, Teva Pharmaceutical, TG Therapeutics, Excemed, MSIF, and NMSS. Other authors report no disclosures.