Multiple Sclerosis Epidemiology

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease caused by damage to the nerve fibers in the central nervous system (CNS), which disrupts the signals sent to and from the brain. MS is a progressive disease that worsens over time and eventually leads to death.

Image Credit: Lightspring / Shutterstock.com

What is MS?

MS is an autoimmune disease, which is a disease where the body’s immune system attacks healthy tissue within the body. In the case of MS, the immune system mistakes myelin, which is the protective covering that surrounds nerve fibers, for a foreign body and mounts an immune response against it.

Diseases that involve damage to this myelin are called demyelinating diseases. Destruction of the myelin disrupts the ability of the nerve to conduct signals, which may be slowed or stopped altogether.

Prevalence

Some experts believe a certain combination of genes may predispose an individual to MS, while other theories suggest that viral infection of the immune and/or nervous system may be responsible.

Research into the incidence of the condition across the globe has shown that MS is more common in countries that lie further north of the equator, such as the United Kingdom and Scandinavia than in countries such as Malaysia or Ecuador, for example. One theory that supports this is that a lack of sunlight and subsequently vitamin D plays a role in the development of MS.

Worldwide, the median estimated prevalence of MS is 30 per 100,000 population. Globally, the median incidence of new cases annually is 2.5 per 100,000 population. Among different regions, the median estimated prevalence is highest in Europe, at 80 per 100,000 population. This is followed by a prevalence per 100,000 of 14.9 in Eastern Mediterranean regions, 8.3 in the Americas, 5.0 in the Western Pacific, 2.8 in South East Asia, and 0.3 in Africa.

The highest estimated prevalence of MS by country is found in Hungary at 176 per 100,000 population, followed by a prevalence per 100,000 of 150 in Slovenia, 149 in Germany, 135 in the United States, 133 in Canada, 130 in the Czech Republic, 125 in Norway, 122 in Denmark, 120 in Poland, and 110 in Cyprus.

Studies have also shown that when countries are stratified by income, the median estimated prevalence of MS is greatest in the high-income countries, at 89 per 100,000 population. This is followed by an estimated prevalence of 32 per 100,000 in upper-middle-income countries; 10 per 100,000 in lower-middle-income countries; and 0.5 per 100,000 in low-income countries.

Overall, MS is more common among white populations than in non-white populations.

References

  1. http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Multiple-sclerosis/Pages/Causes.aspx
  2. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/
  3. http://www.who.int/
  4. https://mscanada.ca/
  5. http://www.nice.org.uk/

Further Reading

Last Updated: Jul 1, 2023

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Written by

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Dr. Ananya Mandal is a doctor by profession, lecturer by vocation and a medical writer by passion. She specialized in Clinical Pharmacology after her bachelor's (MBBS). For her, health communication is not just writing complicated reviews for professionals but making medical knowledge understandable and available to the general public as well.

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

  • APA

    Mandal, Ananya. (2023, July 01). Multiple Sclerosis Epidemiology. News-Medical. Retrieved on October 13, 2024 from https://www.news-medical.net/health/Multiple-Sclerosis-Epidemiology.aspx.

  • MLA

    Mandal, Ananya. "Multiple Sclerosis Epidemiology". News-Medical. 13 October 2024. <https://www.news-medical.net/health/Multiple-Sclerosis-Epidemiology.aspx>.

  • Chicago

    Mandal, Ananya. "Multiple Sclerosis Epidemiology". News-Medical. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Multiple-Sclerosis-Epidemiology.aspx. (accessed October 13, 2024).

  • Harvard

    Mandal, Ananya. 2023. Multiple Sclerosis Epidemiology. News-Medical, viewed 13 October 2024, https://www.news-medical.net/health/Multiple-Sclerosis-Epidemiology.aspx.

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
AI and imaging advances revolutionize multiple sclerosis diagnosis