Multiple Sclerosis

Common Questions & Answers
The symptoms of MS can be unpredictable and appear in different combinations. Early MS symptoms often include blurred vision, red-green color distortion, trouble walking or with balance, and tingling or numbness of the skin.
There are no specific tests for MS, but it’s typically diagnosed by a neurologist. That person should conduct a medical history review, neurological exams, MRI scans, and sometimes spinal fluid analysis.
While MS isn't directly inherited, genetics may play a role in increasing your risk of developing the disease. Scientists have identified about 200 genes that contribute to overall risk.
Patients can better anticipate what to expect if they know which type they have. The four main types of MS are relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), secondary progressive MS (SPMS), primary progressive MS (PPMS), and clinically isolated syndrome (CIS).
MS itself is rarely fatal, but it can reduce life expectancy. Studies have found it may shorten lifespan by six or seven years, but many people with MS live as long as the general population.

Michael Yang, MD
Medical Reviewer
Dr. Michael Yang is a neurologist and headache specialist at Emplify Health, and an adjunct professor of neurology at the University of Wisconsin Madison School of Medicine.
He completed his residency in neurology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, and went on to complete a headache fellowship at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire. He is certified in headache medicine by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties.

Steven R. Levine, MD
Medical Reviewer
After receiving his medical degree at the Medical College of Wisconsin and completing neurology residency at the University of Michigan, he completed a two-year fellowship in cerebrovascular disease and stroke at Henry Ford Health Sciences Center, an NIH Designated Center for Stroke Research in Detroit, where he studied human in vivo magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy of the brain during stroke, under the mentorship of K.M.A. Welch, MBChB.
He became involved in acute stroke clinical trials and was one of seven site principal investigators in the NINDS rt-PA Stroke Trial, which led to the first FDA-approved treatment for acute ischemic stroke in 1996. In the 1990s he coined the term “telestroke” in a new concept paper envisioning the use of real-time telemedicine to increase tPA treatment within acute stroke care. Almost 18 years later, telestroke is now part of routine stroke care.
Dr. Levine’s research has been continuously funded by the NIH for over 30 years. He has been active in acute and preventive stroke clinical trials for over 30 years. Levine has mentored over 30 stroke fellows, over 70 residents, and many students and junior faculty. He serves on multiple editorial boards and as a consultant for NIH, AHA-ASA, NSA, and the pharmaceutical industry.
Levine is involved with multiple NIH-NINDS clinical trial networks (NeuroNEXT and StrokeNET) and served as scientific PI (PCORI grant) to develop mobile apps for stroke patients and caregivers. He has been listed in several directories of honors, including Best Doctors in America, America’s Top Doctors, Best Doctors in New York, Best Heart and Stroke Doctors, New York Super Doctors, and U.S. News & World Report Top Doctors. He has received several institutional teaching and mentoring grants (K24, T32, R25) and awards, including the 2017 Alfred Stracher Faculty Recognition Award. Levine has received The C. Miller Fisher, MD, Neuroscience Visionary Award (given annually for “significant contributions to the mission of the American Stroke Association and for clear and lasting contributions to neuroscience”) at The NorthEast Cerebrovascular Consortium (NECC).
Levine is a fellow of the AAN and the AHA Stroke Council, and is an elected member and fellow of the ANA. He has published over 230 peer-reviewed articles (including in The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Circulation, Brain, and Annals of Neurology), 60 invited contributions or reviews, 30 editorials, 50 book chapters, and three books in the field of stroke. He serves on multiple editorial boards (including Stroke as Special Section Editor of Controversies and Debates) and has been a peer reviewer for over 70 journals. He actively attends on the stroke service and sees outpatients in a stroke clinic.

Michael Yang, MD
Medical Reviewer
Dr. Michael Yang is a neurologist and headache specialist at Emplify Health, and an adjunct professor of neurology at the University of Wisconsin Madison School of Medicine.
He completed his residency in neurology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, and went on to complete a headache fellowship at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire. He is certified in headache medicine by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties.
Lauren Krupp, MD
Medical Reviewer

Sanjai Sinha, MD
Medical Reviewer
Dr. Sinha did his undergraduate training at the University of California in Berkeley, where he graduated magna cum laude. He earned his medical degree at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City in 1998 and completed his internship and residency training at the New York University School of Medicine in 2001. Subsequently, he worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs from 2001 to 2012 and held faculty appointments at both the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
In 2006, he won the VISN3 Network Director Award for Public Service and a commendation from the secretary of Veterans Affairs for his relief work after Hurricane Katrina. He joined Weill Cornell Medical College?in 2012, where he is an assistant professor of clinical medicine and the director of the care management program, as well as a practicing physician.
In addition to his work for Everyday Health, Sinha has written for various publications, including Sharecare and Drugs.com; published numerous papers in peer-reviewed medical journals, such as the?Journal of General Internal Medicine; and presented at national conferences on many healthcare delivery topics.?He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Jason Paul Chua, MD, PhD
Medical Reviewer
Jason Chua, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and Division of Movement Disorders at Johns Hopkins?School of Medicine. He received his training at the University of Michigan, where he obtained medical and graduate degrees, then completed a residency in neurology and a combined clinical/research fellowship in movement disorders and neurodegeneration.
Dr. Chua’s primary research interests are in neurodegenerative disease, with a special focus on the cellular housekeeping pathway of autophagy and its impact on disease development in diseases such as Parkinson disease. His work has been supported by multiple research training and career development grants from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the American Academy of Neurology. He is the primary or coauthor of 14 peer-reviewed scientific publications and two peer-reviewed online learning modules from the American Academy of Neurology. He is also a contributing author to The Little Black Book of Neurology by Osama Zaldat, MD and Alan Lerner, MD, and has peer reviewed for the scientific journals Autophagy, eLife, and Neurobiology of Disease.

Samuel Mackenzie, MD, PhD
Medical Reviewer
Samuel Mackenzie, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Child Neurology, Neuromuscular Disease, and Neuroscience at University of Rochester Medical Center. He completed his undergraduate studies at Cornell University before earning a master's degree in exercise science at the University of Delaware and his MD and PhD degrees at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He completed residency in child neurology at the University of Michigan and fellowship in neuromuscular medicine at The Ohio State University and Nationwide Children's Hospital.
Dr. Mackenzie's research interests broadly involve developing new ways to restore motor function in patients with neurological disease and developing gene-based treatments for patients with neuromuscular conditions. He also has an interest in health policy and advocacy, specifically as these relate to how scientific discoveries can best be leveraged for societal good in an equitable and cost-effective manner.

Michael R. Yochelson, MD, MBA
Medical Reviewer
Michael R. Yochelson, MD, MBA, is the chief medical officer at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, where he was instrumental in starting its first fellowship in brain injury medicine. He is also an adjunct professor of clinical rehabilitation medicine at Emory University in Atlanta. He continues to work in the field of brain injury medicine, and he is board-certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, and brain injury medicine.
He co-wrote and co-edited a book for patients and caregivers, Managing Brain Injury: A Guide to Living Well With Brain Injury. He has been an invited reviewer for peer-reviewed articles in Clinical Neurology & Neurosurgery, the?Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development, and Neurosurgery.
Dr. Yochelson was previously the vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer at MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital and the vice chair of clinical affairs for the department of rehabilitation medicine at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, both in Washington, DC. He served as a physician in the U.S. Navy for over 11 years. From 2004 to 2006, he co-directed the mild traumatic brain injury clinical team at the National Naval Medical Center. In 2006, he took a position at MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital as the medical director for the brain injury programs. During his tenure, he started a fellowship program in brain injury medicine, subsequently training seven physicians in the field.
He has served in several roles for the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and currently sits on the Inclusion and Engagement Committee. He was appointed by Congress to serve from 2014 to 2020 on the federal Advisory Committee on Prosthetics and Special Disability Programs, chairing the committee for five years. He coauthored the chapter on stroke rehabilitation in?Braddom’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sixth Edition.

Jessica Baity, MD
Medical Reviewer
Jessica Baity, MD, is a board-certified neurologist practicing in southern Louisiana. She cares for a variety of patients in all fields of neurology, including epilepsy, headache, dementia, movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, and stroke.
She received a bachelor's degree in international studies and history from the University of Miami and a master's in international relations from American University. She graduated from the Louisiana State University School of Medicine, where she also did her internship in internal medicine and her residency in neurology.
Prior to practicing medicine, she worked in international relations and owned a foreign language instruction and translation company.?

Allison Young, MD
Medical Reviewer
Allison Young, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist providing services via telehealth throughout New York and Florida.
In addition to her private practice, Dr. Young serves as an affiliate professor of psychiatry at Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. She previously taught and mentored medical trainees at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She speaks at national conferences and has published scientific articles on a variety of mental health topics, most notably on the use of evidence-based lifestyle interventions in mental health care.
Young graduated magna cum laude?from?Georgetown University with a bachelor of science degree in neurobiology and theology. She obtained her doctor of medicine degree with honors in neuroscience and physiology from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She continued her training at NYU during her psychiatry residency, when she was among a small group selected to be part of the residency researcher program and studied novel ways to assess and treat mental distress, with a focus on anxiety, trauma, and grief.
During her psychiatry training, Young sought additional training in women’s mental health and cognitive behavioral therapy. She has also studied and completed further training in evidence-based lifestyle interventions in mental health care, including stress management, exercise, and nutrition. She is an active member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, through which she helps create resources as well as educate physicians and patients on the intersection of lifestyle medicine and mental health.
Farrokh Sohrabi, MD
Medical Reviewer
Farrokh Sohrabi, MD, is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Viriginia Hospital, and is board-certified in internal medicine. Dr. Sohrabi has been involved in both basic science and clinical research, and has a broad background in medical writing and editing. He has authored publications in academic medical journals, medical websites, and peer-reviewed scientific publications. Sohrabi sees patients in the Washington, D.C. area.
- Multiple Sclerosis. Mayo Clinic. November 1, 2024.
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