General Information about Multiple Sclerosis from the MC Fox.com
(Note:low vitamin D increases probability of MS which lowers vitamin D levels even more. Vitamin D related items are marked in blue)
- First Diagnosed in 1849
- The earliest known description of a person with possible Multiple Sclerosis dates from 14th century Holland
- Multiple Sclerosis is the most common progressive and disabling neurological condition in young adults
- Approx 2.5 million people worldwide, have Multiple Sclerosis
- Around 400,000 people in the United States have Multiple Sclerosis
- In the UK, approx 70,000 people have the disease
- Approx 50,000 people in Canada have Multiple Sclerosis
- Scotland has the highest incidence of Multiple Sclerosis per head of population in the world also have the lowest levels of vitamin D in the world
In Scotland, over 10,500 people have Multiple Sclerosis - No virus has ever been isolated as the cause of Multiple Sclerosis
- Average age of clinical onset is 30 – 33 years of age
- The average age of diagnosis is 37 years of age
- The average time between clinical onset of MS and diagnosis by physicians is 4 - 5 years
- 10% of cases are diagnosed after the age of fifty
- In 1936, only 8% of patients were reported to survive beyond 20 years after onset of illness
- In 1961, over 80% of Multiple Sclerosis patients were reported surviving to 20 years after onset of illness
- 2002 – A patient with Multiple Sclerosis can expect to live to average population life-expectancy minus seven years (mean life expectancy - 7 years)
- Multiple Sclerosis is five times more prevalent in temperate climates than in tropical climates well known latitude/UVB
- Multiple Sclerosis affects women much more frequently than men. Approx. 1.7 – 2:1 in the US and approx 3:2 in the UK women have lower vitamin D levels than men
- The ratio of white to non-white is approx 2:1
- Gypsies and Inuit's do get Multiple Sclerosis although the incidence rate is much lower than other populations at approx 19 per 100,000
- Native Indians of North and South America, the Japanese and other Asian peoples have a very low incidence rate of Multiple Sclerosis
- In identical twins where one twin develops the disease, the likelihood of the second twin developing Multiple Sclerosis is approx 30%
- The incidence rate for non-identical twins, where one contracts Multiple Sclerosis, is approx 4%
- The risk of contracting Multiple Sclerosis if a first-degree relative (father, mother, sibling) has the disease, is approx 1% - 3% overall
- The risk of contracting Multiple Sclerosis if your father has the disease is approx 1 in 100
- The risk of contracting Multiple Sclerosis if your mother has the disease is approx 1 in 50
- The risk among the general population of contracting Multiple Sclerosis is approx 1 in 800
Multiple Sclerosis symptoms from same group
- The symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis may be mild or severe, chronic (long-term) or of short duration; may be transient (appear and disappear very quickly)
- Symptoms and signs may disappear or may fluctuate in character and intensity
- The sometimes bizarre and transient nature of symptoms may be mistaken for a psychiatric condition
- Approx. 40% of Multiple Sclerosis patients have Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS)
- Approx. 20% of Multiple Sclerosis patients will initially be diagnosed as having Benign Multiple Sclerosis
Less than 5% - 10% of patients actually have benign Multiple Sclerosis - 55% of patients with Multiple Sclerosis will develop optic neuritis at some time or other during their lifetime. 45% of patients do not
- Approximately 5% - 10% of Multiple Sclerosis patients experience trigeminal neuralgia (tic delaroux) at some stage during the course of the disease
- Only 15% of patients with Multiple Sclerosis will have optic neuritis as a first symptom. 85% will present to their physician with a different symptom
- Between 20% - 40% of women with Multiple Sclerosis have a relapse within the 3 months post partum (after giving birth) vitamin D levels are lowest after birth
- Complete or partial remission of symptoms will occur in approx 70% of patients, particularly during the early stages of the disease
- Males have a higher tendency to develop Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (PPMS)
- Females tend to experience more relapses than men
- 5% of Multiple Sclerosis patients exhibit an inappropriate euphoria
- Approx 50% of patients with Multiple Sclerosis experience cognitive impairment such as difficulty with concentration, attention, memory and poor judgment Low cognition is associated with low vitamin D
- Approx 50% of Multiple Sclerosis patients will suffer some form of mental disturbance such as depression, mild dementia or organic psychosis
- 2/3 of patients with Multiple Sclerosis will develop disturbance of sphincter control at some stage during the course of the disease
- The major bowel complaint is constipation although fecal incontinence may occur occasionally in some patients
- Depression is common and unrelated to cognitive impairment although it may worsen existing cognitive difficulties SAD is associated with low level of vitamin D
- Approx 10% of patients with Multiple Sclerosis will suffer severe psychotic disorders such as Manic Depression (Bipolar Disorder) and paranoia
- In approx 80% of Multiple Sclerosis sufferers, heat will cause a temporary worsening of symptoms (Uhthoff's Phenomenon).
The heat source may be externally produced, for example, a hot bath; or the result of physical exertion.
Removal of the heat source / cooling normally, though not always, eliminates the problem, although this can take from a few minutes to several hours. - 60% of neurological signs experienced during hyperthermia (i.e. Uhthoff's phenomenon) are new to the patient.
- Some heat sensitive patients find a cool bath or swimming temporarily relieves some symptoms
- Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis patients develop, on average, 20 new lesions per year and will have between 1 – 2 exacerbations per year
- For every 8 – 10 new lesions shown by MRI, only 1 clinical manifestation (measurable exacerbation) will occur
- Patients with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis have a higher incidence of spinal cord lesion and exhibit much more rapid development of disability than those with other forms of the disease
- 1 in every 4, or 25%, of exacerbations are associated with a viral infection
- Approx 75% - 85% of patients with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) will go on to develop Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS)
- Approx 80% of patients with Multiple Sclerosis experience fatigue Vitamin D deficiency is strongly associated with Fatigue
- Spasticity will occur in approx 60% of patients with a progressive form of the disease
- 80% - 90% of men and 45% - 70% of women will report some form of sexual dysfunction
- Patients with Multiple Sclerosis have a greater risk of seizure than in the general population Seizures are associated with low level of vitamin D
- Lesions may occur in the Corpus Callosum, an area of the brain thought to be involved in seizures
- Exercises or physical therapy designed to stretch the muscles, particularly those of the leg, can help prevent contractures, an irreversible shortening of muscles.