Introducing the MS Trust Jargon Busters

The MS Trust Jargon Busters are here to help you make sense of MS terminology.

From your diagnosis on, you may have heard unfamiliar phrases from other people with MS and your health professionals. Do you know your CIS from your EDSS? What about RRMS and SPMS? And who is this McDonald person, and what have they got to do with MS? 

We asked some MS expert health professionals to explain some of those phrases and explain what they might mean for you.

In this article, we look at some of the terms you might have heard in connection with your MS diagnosis process.

Dr Declan Chard, Honorary Consultant Neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, describes the different types of MS.

Dr Gemma Maxwell, Consultant Neurologist from Sunderland, defines clinically isolated syndrome (CIS).

Dr Gemma Maxwell, Consultant Neurologist from Sunderland, explains the McDonald diagnostic criteria.

Dr Declan Chard, Honorary Consultant Neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, explains the Expanded Disability Status Scale, or EDSS.

We have more Jargon Buster films to watch on our Youtube channel. 

Is there more MS jargon you'd like to have busted? Let us know and we can find an MS expert to explain. Email resources@mstrust.org.uk

For more questions about MS, you can get in touch with our Helpline through phone, email or social media.