iS B12 deficiency often a misdiagnosis for MS?

[kittee2015]

On one of the other MS forums someone is rather insistent that I check all the blood test numbers for B12 Deficiency. I'm quite positive its not that because that particular list of symtoms only fits like a quarter of my actual symptoms ,mush less than MS put it that way,but never the less they are very insistent.

Just wondering is it common for people to be misdiagnosed with B12 deficiency instead of MS and vice versa?

[essdipity]

This issue can be put to rest easily. Have your doctor do a blood test measuring B12, and if it comes back in the normal range, cross off that possibility.

ess

[supermum_ms]

Children dx with Encopresis usually recover with dietary changes, behavioural training and or psychological therapy, but if you are saying this has continued throughout your life, it is possible you've been dealing with a gastrointestinal issue eg lactose and or wheat intolerant, celiac etc

My daughter was dx with bowel issues around the same age but she's also dyslexic so it was always put down to a psychological causation and not physiological one, we now know she's always been lactose intolerant just like her little brother and a couple of other family members.

She also didn't find out until adulthood that she has scoliosis double curvature of her spine, which was the reason why she was having so much back pain, spasms and paresthesias. lol the reason why i'm mentioning it, is that whilst most of the time very young childhood issues are irrelevant in adulthood, sometimes they can actually be connected to a long standing medical issue, that only starts to become a more serious problem in early adulthood.

Keep you mind open at this stage, it could turn out to be something completely different to MS and soon you will have a better idea of what condition your dealing with....

Cheers........JJ

PS I also think the person in that MS community has a bit of a vit B obsession, we don't get all that many conspiracy theorists here but when we do they generally centre around Lyme disease, big pharm and numerous fantastical MS cures    

[kittee2015]

Thank you kindly yeah dead smack in the middle of diagnosis at the moment although it looks like I may escape LP because my neuro is against them so i'm happy with that lol I dont relish the idea of big needle in spine funnily enough .

Yeah I think I meant the second question 'do people get diagnosed with vitamin b-12 deficiency when their main problem was in fact MS'

But really was just trying to figure out why this person is so insistent to check B12 deficiency lol,Thats interesting though the analogy you gave about the hobby horse

Thank you again
Shall keep updating I promise

[immisceo]

I'm not sure if I understand from your question. Are you asking if people get diagnosed with MS when they really had vitamin b-12 deficiency? I would imagine this would rarely happen as most of us would have had blood tests to determine our levels at some point in the diagnostic process. This isn't to say you can't be both vitamin b deficient *and* have MS however. Now you begin to see why the diagnostic process can be a bit protracted.

However, perhaps you meant 'do people get diagnosed with vitamin b-12 deficiency when their main problem was in fact MS'. Hmmm. To my knowledge, vitamin deficiencies will not give themselves away on an MRI. 85% of people with MS have evidence on their MRIs. The other 15% are confirmed using a combination of other things like LP, clinical exam, being followed over time for relapses that happen even after all deficiencies are corrected.

In both cases I would think it's not something that happens too often. The individual in the other forum has a personal b-12 hobby-horse backed up by a book that is riddled with pseudo-science, conspiracy theories, and persecution complexes. Vitamin deficiencies happen, of course. But they can be found and corrected, no conspiracy needed.

You seem to be in the middle of the diagnostic process yourself. It can be worrying, frustrating, and very confusing. EVPs, MRIs, in addition to a neurological exam are all very sound places to get the ball rolling! You'll likely have blood taken to test for things like vitamin B and D. Most of us are fairly low in the latter. Just hang in there. It can take a while to make headway and for things to become clearer.

[kittee2015]

ah k so its not common. the list of symtoms is long and not nice which is why I haven't given them but here we are:
Don't know the proper symptom names sorry

Tremors and spasms hands(since 2009),Encopresis(constipation-diagnosed 8 yrs old),extreme fatigue(really big issue for me),heat episodes(blurred vision speech issues dizziness after hot showers/sun etc)
Numb/paralysed right leg (since dec 2013-odd foot/ drop foot as a result)burning hands and feet  and weakness in both legs and one arm.(jan-hosp stay entire right arm went numb)

I think thats it ,not daily but eye weirdness for an entire day sometimes
Im 27 so yeah fun and games but it is what it is

So waiting gamme for EVP and MRI's etc

[HVAC]

MS is diagnosed by ruling every other medical possibility out. For a diagnosis of MS you usually need lesions on a brain MRI, possibly an abnormal evoked potential test, an abnormal lumbar puncture, an abnormal neurological exam, and two separate attacks in two different part of the body at two different times. Also your medical history and symptoms.

Alex

[supermum_ms]

You've not mentioned what symptoms you actually have, how it presented, or the pattern of your symptoms to know if a neurological condition like MS or if any of it's mimics is more likely, so it's hard to even speculate on the type of medical condition it's more likely to be.

There could be various reasons for another MS community to be suggesting vit B instead of MS eg if your symptom presentation, pattern, symptoms development etc is more suggestive of Vit B and less suggestive of MS would be my initial thoughts...

I highly doubt people would commonly be misdiagnosis with MS when they only have a vit B deficientcy, because the MS diagnostic evidence would be missing but it would be possible for an undiagnosed MSer or someone not assessed for MS to be misdiagnosed with a vit B deficientcy and it's even possible for an MSer to also be deficient in Vit B.

Cheers........JJ