WHAT IS MS?

Multiple Sclerosis is a progressive and unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts communication between the brain and other parts of the body. The severity of the disease and its symptoms vary from person to person. The cause of MS is unknown and although there are treatments that can slow disease progression, at this time there is no known cure. It has only been since 1993 that medications have been available to treat MS. Today there are several agents approved by the FDA for the treatment of MS but these drugs are only partially effective. The search for new agents with better efficacy is moving quickly and there are now over 30 new agents in clinical trials.

Common symptoms include visual changes, muscle weakness, problems with balance, fatigue, numbness, and emotional and cognitive changes but there are many others. MS has periods when the disease is quite active known as exacerbations. During exacerbations symptoms can be more pronounced, but usually subside and sometimes go away after an exacerbation.

MS is most commonly diagnosed in young adults. Eighty percent of MS patients develop MS between the ages of 16 and 45. Women are more frequently diagnosed with MS by at least 2 to 1. MS is the leading cause of disability in young women and the second leading cause of disability in young men.

The worldwide prevalence of MS is 2.7 million and over 400,000 Americans have been diagnosed with the disease. The incidence of MS is higher North of the 38^th parallel. In Colorado, we estimate that one in 580 people have MS. Colorado has always been thought to have an extremely high incidence of MS, perhaps because the 40^th parallel runs through Boulder. The incidence of MS increases with increased distance from the equator but the Colorado incidence appears to be similar to other areas of the same latitude.

Visit the Rocky Mountain MS Center website to learn more about MS »

ABOUT THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN MS CENTER »

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