What is MS?

Information About MS

If you have information that you would like to see here, please contact me at: dee@firelady40.com.

Return to MS Index Return to Home Page

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and unpredictable disease of the central nervous system (CNS), that produces mental and physical symptoms that may relapse, remit, and/or worsen over time.

Brief Description of MS
CLICK HERE for more info on the disease Multiple Sclerosis from the Mayo Health.

The information in this table comes from the MS Foundation.
There are approximately 250,000 to 350,000 diagnosed cases of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in the U.S.	MS occurs in women twice as often as in men.	MS occurs in all ethnic groups but is most common in Caucasians.	Most people with MS are diagnosed in those between the ages of 20 and 50 years.
MS seldom strikes people under the age of 15 or over the age of 50.	20% have benign MS with no permanent disability.	30% have R/R with periods of stability.	40% have a slowly progressive form of the illness.
10 - 20% have steady progression from onset.	75% diagnosed with MS never need a wheel chair.	40% experience no disruptions of their normal activities.	The closer you are to the equator, the fewer cases of MS.

Overview of the four diagnostic categories of MS Relapsing-Remitting MS
In relapsing-remitting MS, symptoms come (relapses) and go (remissions). Symptoms may evolve over several days and then disappear, although some symptoms may remain. The course varies from person to person, but on average, relapses appear every 2 years. The period between relapses can be very long, as much as 20 years or more. A small percentage of people have only a single attack in their lifetime.
Relapsing-remitting MS is the most common form of the disease and is most frequently diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40. Up to 80 percent of people with MS are diagnosed with the relapsing-remitting type. Only 50 percent of people with RR MS develop secondary-progressive MS within the first 10 years.

Secondary-Progressive MS
The change from relapsing-remitting MS to secondary-progressive MS generally occurs 5 to 15 years after the disease begins. With secondary-progressive MS, neurological symptoms tend to worsen progressively, with or without superimposed relapses. Over time, it is common for secondary-progressive patients to have fewer attacks (sometimes none at all), despite continual progression. About 30 percent of people with MS have secondary-progressive disease.

Primary-Progressive MS
With primary-progressive MS, symptoms get worse over time, but there are no relapses or remissions. Some people with primary-progressive MS have brief periods of time during which their symptoms either stay the same or improve slightly. This type of MS is most often diagnosed in people over the age of 40.

Progressive-Relapsing MS
Progressive-relapsing MS is a rare form of MS with a gradual worsening of symptoms from the beginning, with superimposed relapses and remissions.

© Copyright 1998-present:
Permission is hereby granted to MS Societies and all MSers to publish information from these pages provided that no financial reward is gained and attribution is given to the author/s.