Who gets MS?

MS is a disease of young people. It can affect any age, but the commonest age at the onset (start) is 20 – 40 years. It is unusual before adolescence.

MS affects more females than males, and it is nearly thrice in women than it is in men in the UK and the Northern half of Western Europe. MS is a disease of the temperate (cold) climates.  Its prevalence increases with the distance from the equator.

There is as yet no complete national register of people with MS in the UK, though projects are underway to do so.

In 2009, research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine based on records held by GPs suggested that there may be around 100,000 people with MS in the UK. This research has not yet been published in a peer reviewed journal.

Research published by the University of Dundee used the same source of records as the 2009 study and reached a total of 127,000 people with MS and 6,000 new cases in 2010.

 The prevalence of MS in the UK is much more in Scotland and Northern Ireland than the rest of the country.