WHO IS AFFECTED BY MS?
Multiple Sclerosis has been increasingly more prominent in the last 30 years. Scientists have been trying for years to find a reason or link to what is causing MS and who is the demographic that is at risk. However even with millions of dollars of funding, research is at a stand still and the who and what are still unanswered.
But scientists do know some about the disease.
A common question regarding Multiple Sclerosis is: Is it contagious? Is it genetic? What scientists have found is that although MS is not contagious, they still cannot determine if the disease is genetic. Research done by the MS Society has shown that for every 100 with MS, 15 had a relative with it as well. The link between genetics may not be clear now, but there is hope to find the true defining factor.
A strong correlation between vitamin d and multiple sclerosis has been made. Typically the further away from the equator the more cases that are found. Locations near the equator have a 1 to 100,000 likelihood of having MS. This statistic is compared to 70 to 100,000 in locations in Northern America and Europe. The Pacific Northwest has the highest number of cases of MS in the entire world. Why? Take Seattle, the biggest populated city in Washington State, and you would find that there are more rainy days for inhabitants than there are sunny ones.
Another correlation has been made between who has the disease, men or women. Women with MS now appear to outnumber men with the disease by a ratio of four to one in the U.S., new research shows. In 1940, twice as many women as men in the U.S. had multiple sclerosis. By 2000, four out of five cases were occurring among women, University of Alabama professor of biostatistics Gary Cutter, PhD. That represents an increase in the ratio of women to men of nearly 50% per decade.
When it comes to age, there is no stage in life that most people develop the disease. Rare cases have been known to happen where patients are diagnosed at the age of 10 or younger. Most cases are shown to happen between the ages of 20 and 40, with many cases happening after the age of 60.
But scientists do know some about the disease.
A common question regarding Multiple Sclerosis is: Is it contagious? Is it genetic? What scientists have found is that although MS is not contagious, they still cannot determine if the disease is genetic. Research done by the MS Society has shown that for every 100 with MS, 15 had a relative with it as well. The link between genetics may not be clear now, but there is hope to find the true defining factor.
A strong correlation between vitamin d and multiple sclerosis has been made. Typically the further away from the equator the more cases that are found. Locations near the equator have a 1 to 100,000 likelihood of having MS. This statistic is compared to 70 to 100,000 in locations in Northern America and Europe. The Pacific Northwest has the highest number of cases of MS in the entire world. Why? Take Seattle, the biggest populated city in Washington State, and you would find that there are more rainy days for inhabitants than there are sunny ones.
Another correlation has been made between who has the disease, men or women. Women with MS now appear to outnumber men with the disease by a ratio of four to one in the U.S., new research shows. In 1940, twice as many women as men in the U.S. had multiple sclerosis. By 2000, four out of five cases were occurring among women, University of Alabama professor of biostatistics Gary Cutter, PhD. That represents an increase in the ratio of women to men of nearly 50% per decade.
When it comes to age, there is no stage in life that most people develop the disease. Rare cases have been known to happen where patients are diagnosed at the age of 10 or younger. Most cases are shown to happen between the ages of 20 and 40, with many cases happening after the age of 60.