How many people have MS?
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common disabling neurological condition affecting young adults. Almost three million people worldwide have MS and that includes around 85,000 people in the UK .
50 people are newly diagnosed with MS in the UK every week. That means that today around 7 people will find out they've got MS.
Multiple Sclerosis is most often diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 40 , and women are almost twice as likely to develop it as men. Scotland has the highest rate of Multiple Sclerosis in the world.Ìý
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Possible causes of MS
The exact cause of MS is not known, but it is widely thought to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Some people carry a higher risk of MS because of their genetic make up. It is then thought that an environmental factor such as a virus can trigger the disease.Ìý
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What is MS?
MS is an autoimmune condition , so your immune system, which normally helps to fight off infections, mistakes your body's own tissue for a foreign body and attacks it.
MS is the result of damage to myelin - a protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system. When myelin is damaged, this interferes with messages between the brain and other parts of the body.
The word sclerosis comes from the Greek 'skleros' meaning hard. In MS, hard areas called plaques, lesions or scars develop around the nerves. 'Multiple' refers to the many different areas of the central nervous system that may have been damaged.
Multiple Sclerosis was first recognized as a distinct, separate disease in 1868 by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, but there is evidence of the disease earlier in history.Ìý
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Types of MS
There are considered to be four main types of MS. Relapsing Remitting MS, characterised by attacks, and periods of recovery, known as remission. Secondary Progressive, which some people with Relapsing Remitting MS can develop after a number of years. Primary Progressive MS which has no relapses or remissions from the start. Benign MS is characterised by an attack, followed by years when you are symptom free.Ìý
How MS affects peopleÌý
For some people, MS is characterised by periods of relapse and remission while for others it has a progressive pattern. The way the disease manifests itself is incredibly variable and therefore it is unique in every person who is diagnosed with MS. Some people with MS will experience symptoms that are manageable and do not interfere too much with daily life, for others there can be severe disablement. For everyone, it makes life unpredictable.Ìý
Some of the symptoms of MS
No case of MS is the same so not everyone has the same symptoms. Some people experience symptoms that are constant, others are intermittent. The disease often starts when someone gets blurred or double vision - which is known as optic neuritis, but some people who never have MS experience this condition. Other common early symptoms include numbness, tingling or pins and needles. Diagnosis can only be made after at least 2 separate attacks . Then as it progresses symptoms can include loss of balance, lack of movement or paralysis, slurred speech, problems swallowing, short term memory loss, cognitive problems, severe pain and spasticity and debilitating fatigue.Ìý
Discover more about MS
This is only a brief introduction to MS. For further guidance and comprehensive information please refer to the MS Society, The MS Trust and the MS Resource Centre. SeeÌýRelated links
