Multiple Sclerosis is:
- Autoimmune disease of the Central Nervous System (CNS)
- May affect the brain, spinal cord, or cranial nerves
- Symptoms and deficits depend on the location and size of affected areas
- Primary lesion is a plaque of demyelination
Prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Afflicts ~400,000 people in the US and >1,000,000 people worldwide
- Mean age of onset: 20-40 years
- More prevalent in women
* Women have a 2-3x greater risk than men
- At diagnosis, ~85% of people with MS present with a relapsing form of the disease
*In ‘Top 100’ World Health Organization (WHO) list of diseases
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