NATIONAL MS AWARENESS - MARCH

Multiple Sclerosis(abbreviated MS) is a disease of the central nervous system marked by numbness, weakness, loss of muscle coordination, and problems with vision, speech, and bladder control. MS is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks myelin, a key substance that serves as a nerve insulator and helps in the transmission of nerve signals. The progress, severity and specific symptoms in MS are unpredictable. Most people with MS are between the ages of 20 and 40 at the time of diagnosis. About 350,000 people in the U.S. have multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is twice as likely to occur in Caucasians as in any other group. Women are twice as likely as men to be affected by multiple sclerosis earlier in life. The term "multiple" refers to the multiple places in the central nervous system that are affected and to the multiple relapses and remissions characteristic of MS.

source: www.medterms.com