Frohman Elliot M
Department of Neurology , University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75235, USA.
Med Clin North Am. 2003 Jul;87(4):867-97, viii-ix. doi: 10.1016/s0025-7125(03)00008-7.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common disabling neurologic disease of young people affecting between 350 and 450,000 individuals in the United States. Substantial advances have been made in the diagnostic assessment and treatment interventions over the last 10 years such that we are now able effectively to treat both the disease process and the associated symptomatic complaints associated with MS. Most patients consult with their primary care physician at the time when the first clinical manifestations of MS emerge. These physicians play a central role in the early identification and treatment of patients with MS. This article emphasizes the expanding diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities evolving for the MS patient and the crucial role played by primary care physicians in collaboration with neurologists in the coordination of the initial diagnostic and treatment plan.
多发性硬化症（MS）是年轻人中最常见的致残性神经系统疾病，在美国影响着35万至45万人。在过去10年里，诊断评估和治疗干预取得了重大进展，以至于我们现在能够有效地治疗MS的疾病进程以及与之相关的症状性主诉。大多数患者在MS首次出现临床表现时会咨询他们的初级保健医生。这些医生在MS患者的早期识别和治疗中起着核心作用。本文强调了针对MS患者不断发展的诊断和治疗能力，以及初级保健医生与神经科医生合作在协调初始诊断和治疗计划中所起的关键作用。
