What are your risks of developing multiple sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an auto-immune disease that affects the central nervous system and thereby the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. MS affects the functioning of nerve cells in the brain impairing communication between the neurons. In extreme cases the patient becomes paralyzed and/or blind, while in less severe cases there may be numbness in the limbs.

Almost any neurological symptom can accompany the disease and MS often progresses to physical and cognitive disability. To those less familiar, nerve fibers are surrounded by myelin, which protects them. Myelin also helps conduct electrical impulses and facilitates a good flow of electricity along the nervous system from the brain. Myelin is the initial site of injury in MS.

MS can affect people of all ages - though people aged from 20 to 50 years are more prone to this disease. MS seldom develops before age 15 or after age 60. It is true that more women than men develop MS. Researching the presence of MS in different age groups may help medical scientists determine the cause of MS and know why the disease course differs from one person to another.

As in other autoimmune diseases, MS is significantly more prevalent in women than men. This gender difference has prompted key research initiatives studying the role of hormones in MS.

MS may not be directly inherited, but genetics do play a key role in someone developing the ailment. In families in which many members are diagnosed with MS, the risk may increase. But it is also a fact that many people diagnosed with MS do not have a family history of the condition.

While the rate of MS within families indicates there is a genetic factor involved in acquiring MS, studies of identical twins show that genes are not always that important. An Australian study published in 2013 concluded that in families where one member was already diagnosed with MS, then the risk factor was higher for more closely related members. Although medical researchers are still unsure, most of them are of the opinion that an individual's own immune system attacks the myelin in the same manner one's immune system attacks a virus or bacteria.

It is unlikely there is just a single cause for developing MS, but rather MS is triggered by multiple factors. Certain sections of medical opinion consider viruses, such as Epstein-Barr (mononucleosis), varicella zoster, as possible MS triggers -though this theory has still not been scientifically validated.

The presence of MS varies according to geographical area and population groups. The incidences of MS are higher the further away you live from the equator. The inference is that exposure to sunlight enhances MS risk.There is no known cure for multiple sclerosis. Treatments attempt to prevent new attacks and prevent disability.