multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis Facts

Facts about Multiple Sclerosis

General Information about Multiple Sclerosis

•  First Diagnosed in 1849
• The earliest known description of a person with possible Multiple Sclerosis dates from 14th century Holland
• Multiple Sclerosis is the most common progressive and disabling neurological condition in young adults
• Approx 2.5 million people worldwide, have Multiple Sclerosis
• Around 400,000 people in the United States have Multiple Sclerosis
• In the UK, approx 70,000 people have the disease
• Approx 50,000 people in Canada have Multiple Sclerosis
• Scotland has the highest incidence of Multiple Sclerosis per head of population in the world
• In Scotland, over 10,500 people have Multiple Sclerosis
• No virus has ever been isolated as the cause of Multiple Sclerosis
• Average age of clinical onset is 30 – 33 years of age
• The average age of diagnosis is 37 years of age
• The average time between clinical onset of MS and diagnosis by physicians is 4 - 5 years
• 10% of cases are diagnosed after the age of fifty
• In 1936, only 8% of patients were reported to survive beyond 20 years after onset of illness
• In 1961, over 80% of Multiple Sclerosis patients were reported surviving to 20 years after onset of illness
• 2002 – A patient with Multiple Sclerosis can expect to live to average population life-expectancy minus seven years (mean life expectancy - 7 years)
• Multiple Sclerosis is five times more prevalent in temperate climates than in tropical climates
• Multiple Sclerosis affects women much more frequently than men. Approx. 1.7 – 2:1 in the US and approx 3:2 in the UK
• The ratio of white to non-white is approx 2:1
• Gypsies and Inuit's do get Multiple Sclerosis although the incidence rate is much lower than other populations at approx 19 per 100,000
• Native Indians of North and South America, the Japanese and other Asian peoples have a very low incidence rate of Multiple Sclerosis
• In identical twins where one twin develops the disease, the likelihood of the second twin developing Multiple Sclerosis is approx 30%
• The incidence rate for non-identical twins, where one contracts Multiple Sclerosis, is approx 4%
• The risk of contracting Multiple Sclerosis if a first-degree relative (father, mother, sibling) has the disease, is approx 1% - 3% overall
• The risk of contracting Multiple Sclerosis if your father has the disease is approx 1 in 100
• The risk of contracting Multiple Sclerosis if your mother has the disease is approx 1 in 50
• The risk among the general population of contracting Multiple Sclerosis is approx 1 in 800

See also:

Multiple Sclerosis symptom facts