Who gets MS?

Anyone may develop MS, but there are some patterns.
Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50.
Two-three times as many women as men have MS.
Studies indicate that genetic factors make certain individuals more susceptible than others, but there is no evidence that MS is directly inherited.
MS occurs more commonly among people with northern European ancestry, but people of African, Asian, and Hispanic backgrounds are not immune.
Approximately 400,000 Americans acknowledge having MS, and every week about 200 people are diagnosed. Worldwide, MS may affect 2.5 million individuals.

Did you know that Children can also develop MS ?? I was even surprised by this fact.


Pediatric (Childhood) MS
Families with multiple sclerosis can be reassured that the risk of their children acquiring MS at any age is low, varying from about 1 in 100 if an aunt or uncle has MS to approximately 1 in 40 if a parent has MS. This compares to a 1 in 750 chance of a child getting MS over a lifetime in the general population.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) historically has been viewed as an adult-onset disease and the majority of research and support programs have targeted adults. Since 1980, however, over 400 cases of childhood MS have been recorded in over 25 medical publications. Initial symptoms have been seen as early as 13 months old, with diagnosis as young as 2 years of age. Largely because of new technology, the numbers of children and adolescents diagnosed with MS are steadily growing.
An estimated 400,000 Americans have MS, and of these, 8-10,000 are children or adolescents. However, an additional 10-15,000 have experienced at least one symptom suggestive of MS. Some of these will go on to develop MS, although in most cases, they will not actually be diagnosed until they are adults. The advent of the MRI and other new ways of detecting MS lesions in the brain and spinal cord have resulted in numerous articles in the MS literature citing case after case of pediatric MS across the country. Because neurologists so rarely encounter childhood MS, diagnosis may be delayed or more difficult than for adult-onset disease.

You can read more about pediatric MS at www.nmms.org

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