What Is MS?

Worldwide, MS may affect more than 2 million individuals. ¹  Every week about 200 more people are diagnosed with the disease.

The exact cause of MS is unknown. However, it is known that MS is an autoimmune disease that affects your central nervous system (CNS)—your brain, brainstem, and spinal cord.

With MS, the immune system creates swelling that causes damage to the myelin which is an insulating material surrounding the nerve fibers of the CNS.

When myelin is lost, scars called scleroses are left behind. Damaged areas or lesions disrupt electrical impulses traveling from one part of the CNS to another. Because of the disruption, signals controlling sensations may not register properly. There may be a loss of feeling or even pain.

Important facts about MS

                                MS affects all races, but is more common among people with northern European ancestry¹

                                Women are 2 to 3 times more likely to have MS than men¹

                                MS is not a fatal disease²

                                The majority of people with MS do not become severely disabled²

References:

1.                                 National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Who gets MS? Available at http://www.nationalmssociety.org/who%20gets%20MS.asp. Accessed February 9, 2005.

2.                                 National Multiple Sclerosis Society. What is multiple sclerosis? Available at http://www.nationalmssociety.org/what%20is%20MS.asp. Accessed February 9, 2005.