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Quick Facts
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- MS is a progressive disease of the nervous system, for which there is no cure.
- An estimated 2,500,000 people in the world have MS.
- More women than men have MS, with a ratio of 2 men to 3 women affected.
- MS is the most common diseases of the central nervous system in young adults.
- There are four types of MS: benign, relapsing remitting, secondary progressive, primary progressive.
- Sclerosis means scars, these are the plaques or lesions in the brain and spinal cord.
- In MS, the protective myelin covering of the nerve fibres in the central nervous system is damaged.
- Inflammation and ultimate loss of myelin causes disruption to nerve transmission and affects many functions of the body.
- While the exact cause of MS is not known, much is known about its effect on immune system function which may be the ultimate cause of the disease.
- MS is not directly hereditary, although genetic susceptibility plays a part in its development.
- MS is not contagious.
- Diagnosis of MS is generally between 20 and 40 years of age, although onset may be earlier.
- MS is rarely diagnosed under 12 and over 55 years of age.
- Life span is not significantly affected by MS.
- There are a wide range of symptoms. Fatigue is one of the most common.
- The incidence of MS increases in countries further from the equator.
- There is no drug that can cure MS, but treatments are now available which can modify the course of the disease.
- Many of the symptoms of MS can be successfully managed and treated.
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