Affecting approximately 1 in a 1000 people, MS is becoming the most common neurological condition among young adults. Women are almost twice as likely to develop MS as men.
Each nerve fiber in the central nervous system is surrounded by a substance called myelin, which helps the electrical impulse messages from the brain travel quickly to the rest of the body. In MS, the myelin becomes damaged which causes the transfer of these messages to become disrupted.
There are four main types of multiple sclerosis; benign MS, relapsing remitting MS, secondary progressive MS and primary progressive MS.
The symptoms of the condition are numerous and unpredictable, and affect each person differently. Some of the most common conditions include problems with mobility and balance, pain, and muscle spasms and tightness.
The exact cause of MS is not fully understood, although there is some evidence to suggest that it is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Research indicates that MS has an autoimmune connection, meaning that your immune system “turns against you”, and in this particular case, it goes after your nervous system.
Introduction