Source: National MS Society. Who Gets Multiple Sclerosis? As in other autoimmune diseases, MS is significantly more common at least times in women than men. This gender difference has stimulated important research initiatives to study the role of hormones in MS. The disease is not directly inherited, but genetics play an important role in who gets the disease.
While the risk of developing MS in the general population is 1 in , the risk rises to 1 in 40 in anyone who has a close relative parent, sibling, child with the disease. In families in which several people have been diagnosed with MS, the risk may be even higher.
Even though identical twins share the same genetic makeup, the risk for an identical twin is only 1 in 4, which means that some factor s other than genetics are involved. While most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, MS can appear in young children and teens, as well as much older adults.
In multiple sclerosis, the protective coating on nerve fibers myelin is damaged and may eventually be destroyed. Depending on where the nerve damage occurs, MS can affect vision, sensation, coordination, movement, and bladder and bowel control. Multiple sclerosis MS is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord central nervous system.
In MS , the immune system attacks the protective sheath myelin that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. Eventually, the disease can cause permanent damage or deterioration of the nerves. Signs and symptoms of MS vary widely and depend on the amount of nerve damage and which nerves are affected. Some people with severe MS may lose the ability to walk independently or at all, while others may experience long periods of remission without any new symptoms.
There's no cure for multiple sclerosis. However, treatments can help speed recovery from attacks, modify the course of the disease and manage symptoms. In multiple sclerosis, the protective coating on nerve fibers myelin in the central nervous system is damaged. This creates a lesion that, depending on the location in the central nervous system, may cause symptoms such as numbness, pain or tingling in parts of the body.
Multiple sclerosis signs and symptoms may differ greatly from person to person and over the course of the disease depending on the location of affected nerve fibers. Symptoms often affect movement, such as:. Most people with MS have a relapsing-remitting disease course. They experience periods of new symptoms or relapses that develop over days or weeks and usually improve partially or completely.
These relapses are followed by quiet periods of disease remission that can last months or even years. Small increases in body temperature can temporarily worsen signs and symptoms of MS , but these aren't considered true disease relapses.
This is known as secondary-progressive MS. The worsening of symptoms usually includes problems with mobility and gait. The rate of disease progression varies greatly among people with secondary-progressive MS. Some people with MS experience a gradual onset and steady progression of signs and symptoms without any relapses, known as primary-progressive MS. The cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown. It's considered an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues.
In the case of MS , this immune system malfunction destroys the fatty substance that coats and protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord myelin. Myelin can be compared to the insulation coating on electrical wires. When the protective myelin is damaged and the nerve fiber is exposed, the messages that travel along that nerve fiber may be slowed or blocked. It isn't clear why MS develops in some people and not others.
A combination of genetics and environmental factors appears to be responsible. Multiple sclerosis care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.
Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Multiple sclerosis Open pop-up dialog box Close. Multiple sclerosis In multiple sclerosis, the protective coating on nerve fibers myelin is damaged and may eventually be destroyed.
Myelin damage and the nervous system Open pop-up dialog box Close. Myelin damage and the nervous system In multiple sclerosis, the protective coating on nerve fibers myelin in the central nervous system is damaged. Multiple sclerosis: Can it cause seizures? Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. If you or someone close to you has recently been diagnosed, access our MS information and resources.
Start Here. Epidemiology is the branch of medicine that deals with the incidence, prevalence, distribution and possible control of diseases and other factors relating to health. While multiple sclerosis is not contagious or directly inherited, epidemiologists — scientists who study patterns of disease — have identified factors in the distribution of MS around the world that may eventually help determine what causes the disease.
These factors include gender , genetics , age, geography and ethnic background. Age: Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although MS can occur in young children and older adults.
Geography: In general, MS is more common in areas farthest from the equator.
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