MS: Facts about this disease

What is multiple sclerosis?

A chronic, often-disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system i.e., the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another.

How many people does it affect?

There are about 400,000 people in the United States with multiple sclerosis. More than 200 people are diagnosed every week, according the MS Society.

Why does it happen?

MS is considered an autoimmune disease in which the body's own defenses attacks myelin, a fatty substance surrounding and protecting nerve fibers in the central nervous system. Nerve fibers themselves can also be damaged.

Damaged myelin will form scar tissue, called a sclerosis. Portions of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber that are damaged or destroyed cause nerve impulses that travel to and from the brain and spinal cord to be distorted or interrupted.

It is those distortions or interruptions that create the large variety of symptoms that can plague MS patients.

What are typical symptoms?

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MS: Facts about this disease