~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

~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

~Multiple Sclerosis affects women much more frequently than men. Approx. 1.7 – 2:1 in the US and approx 3:2 in the UK

~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