An MRI of a 60-year-old female with progressive weakness and numbness in her legs reveals multiple plaques in the white matter of the brain and spinal cord. What could be the potential diagnosis?
The combination of the patient's symptoms and the MRI findings of multiple plaques in the white matter of the brain and spinal cord is suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is an autoimmune disease characterized by demyelination in the central nervous system. However, other conditions such as vasculitis, certain infections, or other demyelinating diseases could also present similarly. Further testing, including possibly cerebrospinal fluid analysis, could help confirm the diagnosis.