CLEVELAND — Multiple sclerosis is one of the most common neurological conditions among young adults, and while there is no cure, treatments can bring symptom relief and even delay progression.

There is no specific test that can diagnose multiple sclerosis. Instead, doctors use what's called "The McDonald Criteria", a set of guidelines that can help rule out or confirm the disease.

"Multiple sclerosis is a condition that is very treatable," Dr. Daniel Ontaneda, a neurologist with Cleveland Clinic, said.

Ontaneda says there are more than two dozen approved medications that can help control multiple sclerosis symptoms and limit disabilities. But he says the disease starts years before the first attack, and the earlier patients start treatment, the better they respond.

"One of the things that we have to focus on is making sure that we get the diagnosis done early and accurately," Ontaneda said.

In an effort to do that, the McDonald Criteria was updated in 2024, allowing doctors to give a multiple sclerosis diagnosis using MS-specific biomarkers and MRIs to find early evidence of the disease.

"We can be pretty confident that a person has MS even if they haven't yet developed classical or typical symptoms of multiple sclerosis," Ontaneda said, "It completely changes the panorama of what that individual's life will look like."