The McDonald Diagnostic Criteria is a set of guidelines to help neurologists ensure they can provide an accurate diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
The criteria were initially developed and published in 2001 by an international group of experts convened by the National MS Society and led by Dr. Ian McDonald. They have been revised several times to account for new information about the disease and were last updated in 2017.
A committee made up of 55 international experts from 16 countries – all with expertise in clinical management, radiology, methodology, epidemiology and patient perspectives – has come together to review and update the 2017 McDonald Diagnostic Criteria. The committee is co-sponsored by ECTRIMS and the National MS Society (US).
This work to address the updates from 2017 began in 2021. The goal of updating the criteria is to make it easier to diagnose MS more quickly and accurately. The sooner someone diagnosed with MS begins treatment, the better their outcomes.
The recommendations for updating the diagnostic criteria take into account new understanding of how MS appears and progresses in individuals. The recommendations demonstrate the shift towards considering the biologic basis of MS at diagnosis. The new criteria will include tests that target what’s happening under the surface and the damage that is being caused by MS, in addition to the symptoms the person experiences.
To date, the recommendations include changes addressing where and how we look for evidence of MS, including new tests for diagnosis as well as specialised criteria for diagnosing children and people over 50.
The committee is currently working to finalise a paper outlining its recommended changes to the criteria and will submit it to a peer-reviewed research journal. We anticipate the paper to be finalised and published early in 2025, but delays in the review process are not uncommon. Once the updated criteria are published, the National MS Society and ECTRIMS will partner to provide all stakeholders, including clinicians, healthcare providers and people affected by MS, the education they need to understand and apply the updated criteria.
The Chair of the committee, Prof. Xavier Montalban, presented the initial recommendations at ECTRIMS 2024. While the presentation outlined the recommendations, they are not finalised, peer reviewed or categorically accepted among the medical community until the paper is published