Certain ICD-10 codes are recorded more frequent- ly before the initial diagnosis in patients with MS compared with patients with other autoimmune diseases or individuals without these diseases, ac- cording to a study published in Neurology. Inves- tigators systematically assessed differences in the occurrence of diseases and symptoms in the 5 years before first diagnosis in 10,262 patients with MS compared with 15,502 with Crohn’s disease, 98,432 with psoriasis, and 73,430 without these diseases. Compared with controls without auto- immune disease, 43 ICD-10 codes were record- ed more frequently for patients with MS before diagnosis. In comparison with the other control groups, many of these findings were confirmed. A high proportion of these codes represent symptoms indicative of demyelinating events or other neuro- logic diseases. No association remained significant in a sensitivity analysis excluding patients with such recordings before first diagnosis. Lower odds ratios of MS were seen in association with seven ICD- 10 codes, four of which represent upper respiratory tract infections. In the sensitivity analysis, the rela- tions with MS were even more pronounced. “The sooner MS is recognized, the better we can treat the disease,” a coauthor said in a statement. “We now need to take a closer look at which early symptoms of MS might be overlooked. This could allow us to recognize the disease at an earlier stage and thus enable earlier treatment initiation.”

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