Instanz: TeilenTeilen:Detection of optic nerve inflammation enables earlier MS diagnosesInka Burow Stabsstelle KommunikationMedizinische Hochschule Hannover11.08.2026 11:10In the case of the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS), a rapid diagnosis is crucial to keeping nerve damage at bay. The result: the expansion of the diagnostic criteria contributes significantly to an increase in the proportion of first-time diagnoses. Most of the additional diagnoses resulted from the inclusion of the optic nerve as a fifth site for inflammatory foci, known in technical terms as lesions. “Including the optic nerve is important because it is also damaged by inflammation of the central nervous system,” emphasises the neurologist. “In our study, taking optic nerve involvement into account was the main reason for the earlier diagnosis.”