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MS is the most common disabling neurological condition affecting young adults. Around 85,000 people in the UK have MS.

MS is the result of damage to myelin - a protective sheath surrounding the nerve fibres of the central nervous system. Although the exact cause is unknown, it appears to result from a malfunction of the immune system, which then starts to attack its host body. Recent research has shown that though MS is not hereditary, the presence of certain genes can make an individual susceptible to this malfunction, which may also be triggered by a viral infection. It affects every individual differently.

Specifically, the disease involves a sub set of white blood cells, called T cells, attacking and damaging the myelin sheath. This results in disturbed transfer of the messages from the central nervous system to the rest of the body, which can then lead to a range of symptoms including fatigue, loss of limb control, eye problems, incontinence, and cognitive impairment. These multiple physical problems can also bring about depression, which affects many people with MS.

There are four types of MS - benign, relapsing remitting, primary progressive and secondary progressive. Secondary progressive is the most common. People with progressive MS have greater disability.

Currently, as there is no cure for MS, medical treatment concentrates on symptom relief.
For some people, MS is characterised by periods of relapse and remission while for others it has a progressive pattern. For everyone, it makes life unpredictable.

MS FACTS

An estimated 2,500,000 people in the world have multiple sclerosis - including 85,000 in the UK - it is more common in countries further away from the equator

MS is the most common potentially disabling disease of the central nervous system affecting young adults in the Western world

Every week around 50 people in the UK are diagnosed with MS

Diagnosis is usually between 20 and 40 years of age - rarely under 12 or over 55

Three women have MS for every two men

Prognosis is uncertain - ranging from benign through 'coming and going' to severely disabling

Common symptoms include pain, deadening fatigue, problems with sight, mobility and co-ordination

MS is not hereditary - but there is a slightly higher chance of getting it if a relative has it - and it is not contagious

There is no cure for MS but there are now drugs which can modify its course for some people and many symptoms can be successfully treated or managed

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is giving neurologists better understanding of MS, helping diagnosis and research into treatments