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Basic information - Multiple Sclerosis 

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What is multiple sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis is a degenerative condition that affects the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). The term ‘sclerosis’ actually means scarring, and ‘multiple’ relates to the fact that the scarring can occur in many different places in the brain and spinal cord.

The central nervous system controls behaviour and activities. Consisting of many nerve fibres, the central nervous system carries messages to and from the brain and spinal cord to different parts of the body. Nerve fibres are surrounded by a protective sheath of myelin, which helps to insulate them and ensure that the messages they carry – the nerve impulses – travel quickly and correctly.

In people with multiple sclerosis, the myelin sheath around nerve fibres becomes damaged or scarred. This interrupts the messages carried by the nerves and can interfere with a wide range of bodily functions.

In Europe and North America, multiple sclerosis affects one in 800 people, making this illness the most common cause of neurological disability in young adults. Symptoms are typically first seen between the ages of 20 and 40. Multiple sclerosis is approximately twice as common in women as in men.

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