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Multiple sclerosis or neuromyelitis optica? Re-evaluating an 18th-century illness using 21st-century software.

Garrard, P; Peters, TJ (2012) Multiple sclerosis or neuromyelitis optica? Re-evaluating an 18th-century illness using 21st-century software. JRSM Short Reports, 3 (1). ISSN 2042-5333 https://doi.org/10.1258/shorts.2011.011079
SGUL Authors: Garrard, Peter

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Abstract

In this paper we report the application of an extensive database of symptoms, signs, laboratory findings and illnesses, to the diagnosis of an historical figure. The medical diagnosis of Augustus d'Este (1794-1848) - widely held to be the first documented case of multiple sclerosis - is reviewed, using the detailed symptom diary, which he kept over many years, as clinical data. Some of the reported features prompted the competing claim that d'Este suffered from acute porphyria, which in turn was used in support of the hypothesis that his grandfather, King George III, also suffered from the disease. We find that multiple sclerosis is statistically the most likely diagnosis, with neuromyelitis optica a strong alternative possibility. The database did not support a diagnosis of any of the acute porphyrias.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: ©2012 Royal Society of Medicine Press. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/), which permits non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
SGUL Research Institute / Research Centre: Academic Structure > Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute (MCS)
Academic Structure > Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute (MCS) > Neuroscience (INCCNS)
Journal or Publication Title: JRSM Short Reports
ISSN: 2042-5333
Dates:
DateEvent
12 January 2012Published
PubMed ID: 22299068
Web of Science ID: 22299068
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URI: https://openaccess.sgul.ac.uk/id/eprint/806
Publisher's version: https://doi.org/10.1258/shorts.2011.011079

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