Some of you may know of someone with multiple sclerosis, a relative, friend, a
friend of a friend, associate etc. You may have even seen or heard that
someone has the illness, but either or, alert yourselves that it is an ongoing
problem that needs to be addressed. Remind yourselves that because multiple
sclerosis does not discriminate, it could affect you or a loved one. While
browsing through countless websites, checking email, talking on the telephone
etc, please take the time to help make a difference by informing congress to
increase funding for such a debilitating disease. Again, it may or it may not
affect you [personally], but funding will benefit all who thrive to live productive
lives.
Please take less than 5 minutes to sign the petition today.
And as a friendly reminder, I can not tell you how important it is to purchase
disability insurance, as no one knows what the future might bring. Check with
your employer and additionally, keep informed of the FMLA laws.
takes less than FIVE MINUTES to complete the petition.
In the United States, there are estimated to be 400,000 people with MS. Although more people are
being diagnosed with MS today than in the past, the reasons for this are not clear.
Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although it can occur in young children and
significantly older adults.
Worldwide, MS occurs with much greater frequency in higher latitudes (above 40° latitude) away from
the equator, than in lower latitudes, closer to the equator. Even within one geographic area, however,
where latitude and climate are fairly consistent, prevalence rates may differ significantly. These
differences demonstrate that geographical factors are not the only ones involved.
MS is more common among Caucasians (particularly those of northern European ancestry) than other
ethnic groups, and is almost unheard of in some populations, such as Inuit, Yakutes, Hutterites, Hungarian
Romani, Norwegian Lapps, Australian Aborigines, New Zealand Maoris. Thus, ethnicity and geography
seem to interact in some complex way to impact prevalence figures in different parts of the world.
Scientists have long been searching for an infectious agent that might trigger MS. While many different
viruses have been suggested, including rabies, herpes simplex virus, measles, corona virus, canine
distemper virus, HTLV-1, Epstein-Barr virus, among others, none has yet been confirmed. Although no
trigger has yet been identified, most MS experts believe that some infectious agent is involved in initiating
the disease process.
Migration from one geographic area to another seems to alter a person's risk of developing MS. Studies
indicate that immigrants and their descendents tend to take on the risk level—either higher or lower—of
the area to which they move. The change in risk, however, may not appear immediately. Those who move
before the age of 15 tend to take on the new risk themselves. For those who move after the age of 15, the
change in risk level may not appear until the next generation.
MS is approximately two to three times more common in women than in men, suggesting that hormones
may also play a significant role in determining susceptibility to MS.
Genetic factors are thought to play a significant role in determining who develops MS. The average
person in the United States has about one chance in 750 of developing MS. But close (first-degree)
relatives of people with MS, such as children, siblings or non-identical twins, have a higher chance—
ranging from one in 100 to one in 40.
Certain outbreaks or "clusters" of MS have been identified, but the cause and significance of these
outbreaks are not known.
Clearly, many unanswered questions remain. While it may be tempting to try and find short-cuts to the
answers, or to tell ourselves that we know more than we actually do about who gets MS and why, we need
to recognize the complexities involved and look to future epidemiological studies to help unravel the facts.
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