MS Fact Sheet
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system (CNS). It affects the speed at which nerve signals travel between the brain, the spinal cord and the rest of the body, causing a variety of symptoms and problems. The symptoms are caused by areas of myelin loss – lesions – within the central nervous system, and depend on the location and size of the lesions. Myelin is a fatty substance which covers some nerves and increases the speed at which messages are passed along the nerve. Some people with MS will be virtually symptom free, while others experience varying degrees of disability. MS symptoms may include: visual disturbances, altered sensations, problems with balance and co-ordination, weakness, fatigue, spasticity, speech problems, pain, bladder and bowel problems, emotional and intellectual changes and sexual problems. Most people with MS will not have all these symptoms at the same time, or may never get any of them.
- There are approximately 85,000 people with MS in the UK, with a further 2,500 diagnosed each year
- An estimated 2.5 million people in the world have MS
- MS is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system in young adults
- Sclerosis means hardening of tissues from scarring - 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 final loss of myelin causes disruption to messages travelling along nerves and affects many functions of the body
- While the exact cause of MS is not known, a lot is known about the immune system which may be the cause of the disease
- MS is not directly inherited, although there may be some genetic links
- MS is not contagious. You cannot “catch it” from someone else
- More women than men have MS
- People are usually diagnosed with MS between 20 and 45 years of age, although it may start earlier
- MS is rarely diagnosed under 12 and over 55 years of age
- The length of your life (life span) is not greatly affected by MS
- Fatigue is a common symptom of MS
- MS is more common in countries further away from the equator
- Heat can cause symptoms to worsen temporarily in many people with MS
- There is no drug that can cure MS, but treatments are now available which can change the course of the disease