What is MS
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a condition of the central nervous system. It is the most common disabling neurological disease among young adults and affects around 85,000 people in the UK. It is thought that between 3500 and 4000 people have MS in Northern Ireland.
MS is most often diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 40 (though it can be earlier or later). Women are almost twice as likely as men to develop MS, and in rare cases it affects children.
Once diagnosed, MS stays with the person for life, but treatments and specialist care can help people to manage many symptoms well. The easiest way to understand what happens in MS is to think of the nervous system as an electrical circuit, with the brain and spinal cord acting as the power source and the rest of the body being the lights, computers, TVs, and so on. Nerves are like electric cables linking the appliances together and myelin is the plastic insulation around these cables. If the insulation gets damaged, the appliances will become faulty or temperamental and there may be a short circuit.
In MS there is inflammation which is thought to cause myelin damage resulting in scarring around the nerve fibres. Although the cause of MS is not known and a cure has yet to be identified, research continues throughout the world.
Once diagnosed, MS stays with the person for life, but treatments and specialist care can help people to manage many symptoms well. The easiest way to understand what happens in MS is to think of the nervous system as an electrical circuit, with the brain and spinal cord acting as the power source and the rest of the body being the lights, computers, TVs, and so on. Nerves are like electric cables linking the appliances together and myelin is the plastic insulation around these cables. If the insulation gets damaged, the appliances will become faulty or temperamental and there may be a short circuit.
In MS there is inflammation which is thought to cause myelin damage resulting in scarring around the nerve fibres. Although the cause of MS is not known and a cure has yet to be identified, research continues throughout the world.