Use of immunology and flow cytometry in clinical praxis

Question 1

What are 3 diagnostic signs in the cerebrospinal fluid for MS?

Answer 1

1. Mild pleocytosis (increased white blood cell count)
2. Sometimes blood-brain-barrier damage
3. Intrathecal IgG synthesis: increased IgG index

Question 2

What do polyclonal free light chains add in the diagnosis of MS in the cerebrospinal fluid?

Answer 2

A promising new biomarkers in inflammatory disease

Question 3

How are other diseases excluded for the diagnosis of MS?

Answer 3

Usually other diseases are excluded by the patient’s history, MRI and CSF analyses but additional test are included for certain MS-mimicking diseases

Question 4

Why are neurofilaments (heavy, medium or light) excellent biomarkers for MS (3 reasons)?

Answer 4

1. Stable in vitro
2. Specific for neuronal injury
3. Can be measured in blood