Dear All
I intended the post to be a resource because the MS/APS differential diagnosis is a recurring topic here. The thread was locked precisely to avoid having a jumble of umpteen posts over the years with a variety of questions that don't get proper attention and adequate individual responses, including posts from first time posters.
I am adding links as I find them.
I 'rescued' the first link from an old post but it was not really the best link to start off with given its somewhat simplistic, 'pop' tone.
Raglet I can well understand your reaction to it given the situation you are in. It has often crossed my mind that one of the inevitable shortcomings of support forums for individuals who have not responded well to the usual therapies and worst, run out of therapeutic options, who have extremely complicated disease or they can't access good doctors. They might not be able to afford the medicines or the therapy is simply not available to them where they live.
Diagnosing APS is not a matter of a simple blood test and this is even more true when it comes to differential diagnosis: a simple blood test does not rule out or in.
I can't offhand think of any instance when things are that easy! It is an extremely complicated business except in classic cases, which follow a text book progress, like lupus itself. CNS/NP lupus is very complicated
Some people have lupus and MS. As far as I know some people might have lupus, APS and MS. Dr Wallace's chapter in the Lupus Book shows very clearly how complicated it can be with the same sort of symptoms having several possible causes.
There are still lots of unknowns, differences of opinion and outright controversy.
I imagine that neurologists might feel threatened by the implication they might have misdiagnosed and patients understandably very unsettled.
The presence of antiphospholid antibodies does not of itself lead to a diagnosis of APS. If it did, everybody who has them could say they have APS, including myself. They can be found in a variety of other diseases including infectious ones and in some healthy people. They can come and go and levels can rise and fall. The sort of statistic we read is that one third to one half of those with lupus have them but only one third of those ever suffer from them. Their presence is one of the lupus diagnostic criteria.
Like lupus, the presence of autoantibodies alone does not lead to diagnosis of APS. There have to be symptoms. Their presence might well indicate risk of symptoms but that is not the same thing. Low dose aspirin with or without with Plaquenil are considered prophylactic.
I am sure there are lots of new developments, but it is almost impossible to access up to date medical articles these days.
Here's to better health for us all
Clare