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National Multiple Sclerosis Society USA

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) was among the first diseases to be described scientifically.  The 19th-century doctors did not understand what they saw and recorded, but medical drawings done as early as 1838 clearly show what we today recognize as MS.  MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS).  The CNS consists of the brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves.  Surrounding and protecting the nerve fibers of the CNS is a fatty tissue called myelin, which helps nerve fibers conduct electrical impulses.  In MS, myelin is lost in multiple areas, leaving scar tissue called sclerosis.  When myelin or the nerve fiber is destroyed or damaged, the ability of the nerves to conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain is disrupted, and this produces the various symptoms of MS.

MS is not contagious and is not directly inherited. MS is not considered a fatal disease.  The majority of people with MS do not become severely disabled.  There is no cure for MS yet, but drugs can help slow the course and/or symptoms in some patients.

While the exact cause of MS is unknown, most researchers believe that the damage to myelin results from an abnormal response by the body's immune system.  Normally, the immune system defends the body against foreign invaders such as viruses or bacteria.  In autoimmune diseases, the body attacks its own tissue; in the case of MS, myelin is attacked.  Most scientists agree that several triggers are involved from genetics to environmental factors.

Anyone might develop MS, but there are some patterns.  Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50.  There is an increasing number of pediatric MS being diagnosed in children as young as 2.  There are twice as many woman diagnosed with MS as there are men.  Approximately 400,000 Americans acknowledge having MS, and someone is newly diagnosed with MS every 50 seconds.  Worldwide, MS may affect 2.5 million individuals.

[The mission of the National MS Society is to end the devastating effects of Multiple Sclerosis, visit their website at   http://www.NMSS.org]