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What is MS?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurological condition among young adults in the UK, affecting an estimated 100,000 people. In Scotland it is estimated that there are around 10,500 people with MS – more people per capita than anywhere else in the world.
It is possible for MS to occur at any age, but people are most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40. Women are two to three times as likely to develop MS as men. MS is a condition of the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), which controls the body's actions and activities, such as movement and balance.
Each nerve fibre in the central nervous system is surrounded by a substance called myelin. Myelin helps the messages from the brain travel quickly and smoothly to the rest of the body. In MS, the myelin becomes damaged, disrupting the transfer of these messages.
MS is unpredictable. Symptoms can occur randomly. Some of the most common are problems with mobility and balance, pain, fatigue and muscle spasms.
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.
MS is a life-long condition and as yet there is no cure, but there are many treatments, which aim to improve the symptoms and make them easier to live with.
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