Question

A 35-year-old female presents to the clinic with concerns about "new onset of double vision" and muscle weakness. Because of the family history of demyelinating disorders, a CSF tap was done; results: positive for oligoclonal bands. This data most represents:

Answer 1

Answer: Presence of inflammation in the Central Nervous System (CNS)

Explanation: Demyelinating disorders generally involves inflamnation in the central nervous system (CNS), general signs and symptoms of the types of demyelinating disorders include; vision loss, muscle stiffness, muscle weakness and spasm.

Oligoclonal bands, also known as immunoglobulins are responsible for inflammation of the CNS, positive presence of this protein may point to a diagnosis of a demyelinating disorder. Therefore the CSF oligoclonal banding test is done to confirm the presence of the protein in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

(cerebrospinal fluid is a clear fluid that flows in the space around the CNS (spinal cord and brain) )