Fast Facts
Quick and informative Multiple Sclerosis facts
- In the United States, approximately 1 million people are affected by multiple sclerosis.
- The cause of MS is unknown, but it is suspected that several factors including the environment, genetics, infectious agents and immunology play a role.
- Evidence shows that MS is more common in locations farther from the equator, indicating that vitamin D may be linked to MS.
- Theories that environmental allergies; exposure to household pets; contact with heavy metals, such as mercury, lead or manganese; and intake of the artificial sweetener aspartame cause MS have been debunked.
- Women are three times more likely than men to develop MS.
- MS is most often diagnosed between ages 20 and 50 years. However, it is estimated that 8,000 to 10,000 children aged under 18 years have MS and adults up to age 75 years have the disease.
- There are four types of MS: clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS, primary progressive MS and secondary progressive MS. About 85% of patients with MS are first diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS.
- Symptoms of MS are unpredictable, vary from person to person and can change over time. The more common symptoms include fatigue, walking difficulties, numbness or tingling and spasticity. Lesser seen symptoms include speech problems, swallowing difficulties, tremors and seizures.
- For many people with MS, vision problems – such as blurred vision, poor contrast or color vision, and painful eye movement – are the first sign of the disease.
- There is no single test to diagnose MS. Health care providers should use a combination of strategies to rule out other diseases and confirm a diagnosis of MS, including a medical history review, a neurologic exam and laboratory tests, such as an MRI, spinal fluid analysis and blood tests.
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