MS & Autoimmune Disease

Our multiple sclerosis program has earned a national reputation as a top diagnostic and treatment center. When you come to Mayo Clinic, you’ll have a team of specialists who are experts in:

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis
Central nervous system inflammatory demyelinating diseases
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD)
Optic neuritis
Transverse myelitis
Neurosarcoidosis
Movement disorders
MOG Antibody Disorder
Autoimmune gastrointestinal dysmotility (AGID)

Mayo Clinic is recognized for our multidisciplinary approach to patient care, and for advanced research into better medications and other treatments. Our experts provide comprehensive care for more than 3,500 adults and children with MS each year.

Your neurologist will bring together an expert multispecialty team that might include:

Physiatrists (physical medicine and rehabilitation)
Urologists
Psychiatrists and Phycologists
Neuro-ophthalmologists

Symptoms of MS and other autoimmune diseases may affect multiple body systems. Your team will work with you to ensure you get exactly the care you need.

At Mayo Clinic, your test results are available quickly and your appointments are scheduled in coordination. What might take months to accomplish elsewhere can typically be done in only a matter of days at Mayo Clinic.

Mayo Clinic experts continually study new diagnostic and treatment options, which they test through clinical trials. Our clinician-researchers and scientists have long been leaders in advancing the understanding and treatment of MS and other related conditions, including autoimmune movement disorders and paraneoplastics. We conduct clinical research, laboratory studies and clinical trials to study causes, genetics, disease progression and potential new treatments.

Here are examples of how Mayo Clinic’s approach is advancing diagnostics and treatment to give people new hope, answers, and options.

This rare condition affects the digestive tract and symptoms can be debilitating, but Mayo Clinic experts were first to report objective evidence that immunotherapy might reverse AGID. Now AGID is considered reversible and treatable. Diagnosis requires close collaboration between autoimmune neurologists and gastroenterologists. We use state-of-the-art testing, including GI transit studies, objective autonomic testing and screening for neural antibodies. Mayo Clinic is one of the main centers who tests for these antibodies in the world.

Mayo Clinic researchers have demonstrated in laboratory research that normalizing enzyme levels disrupted by a high-fat diet can lead to enhanced myelin regeneration. The results shed light on the association of obesity with MS and suggest a potential strategy for improving the course of demyelinating diseases.

Mayo Clinic researchers also validated a new antibody test for MS diagnosis. Results are available in about 20 minutes. The cerebrospinal fluid test measures immunoglobulin kappa free light chains rather than oligoclonal bands, which is the target of current gold standard testing.

Mayo Clinic was one of the first clinics to treat MS with interferons, and also developed plasma exchange – a treatment we have successfully used for more than 20 years.

Our researchers also were the first to discover that a certain type of T cell (CD8) plays a critical role in causing nerve damage in MS. This discovery may lead to new drugs to slow or stop that nerve damage.

When you come to Mayo Clinic, the most highly specialized experts in the world are all working together for you. Mayo Clinic's MS, autoimmune, and paraneoplastic central nervous system neurological disorder care teams evaluate thousands of people each year.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, rank among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings.

Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Rochester is ranked the No. 1 hospital in Minnesota, and the five-state region of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2022–2023 "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings.

Leading Experts in MS and Autoimmune Disease Diagnosis and Treatment

Recognized expertise you can trust.

Compassionate care for children who have MS.

Research advancements that improve clinical care.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disease (NMOSD).

Autoimmune gastrointestinal dysmotility (AGID).

Multiple sclerosis.

Nationally recognized for expertise.

When it's time to find answers, you know where to go.

Contact us to request an appointment.