Most people assume serious neurological diseases appear without warning. In reality, many conditions develop quietly for years before they are discovered. Researchers now believe multiple sclerosis (MS) may leave detectable traces in the body long before a diagnosis is made.
According to researchers at McGill University in Canada, whose findings were published in Annals of Neurology, specific blood proteins could help identify people at higher risk of developing MS more than ten years before symptoms emerge, reports Knowridge.
Hidden signals
Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which the immune system attacks the protective layer surrounding nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. Over time, this can affect movement, vision, balance, and memory.
Because symptoms often appear gradually, many patients are diagnosed only after damage has already occurred. Scientists have therefore been searching for biological markers that could reveal the disease much earlier.
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To investigate, the research team analyzed more than 2,500 blood proteins and identified dozens linked to future MS risk.
A decade earlier
The findings were then tested using data from the UK Biobank, which has followed around 500,000 participants for years.
Among people who later developed MS, researchers found eight proteins that showed measurable changes before diagnosis. Some of these differences were present more than a decade earlier.
One protein, known as DKKL1, attracted particular attention because it was associated with both a lower risk of MS and a potentially milder disease course.
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What happens next?
The researchers believe blood-based screening tools could eventually help doctors identify high-risk individuals before symptoms begin.
While further studies are needed, the results offer hope that earlier monitoring and treatment may one day reduce the long-term impact of multiple sclerosis.
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