"Our study suggests that doctors who treat people with chronic diseases should not attribute new neurological symptoms such as numbness and tingling to existing conditions without careful consideration." This was the comment of Ruth Ann Marrie, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, author of a recently published study in which researchers examined the records of 8,983 people who had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).

    The study found that it took one to ten years longer for people who were obese, smoked, or had physical or mental health conditions to be diagnosed with MS compared to people without such conditions. The study also found that the more medical problems a person with MS had, the more severe the disease had become by the time they were diagnosed.

    --Source: Excerpted from "Obesity, Other Health Problems Delay MS Diagnosis," American Academy of Neurology, October 29, 2008, via Newswise