#WorldStatisticsDay – Multiple Sclerosis Numbers

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America:

• An estimated 2,500,000 people in the world have multiple sclerosis;
• 350,000 to 500,000 people in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with MS;
• 200 people are diagnosed with MS every week;
• Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50 (although MS can occur in young children and significantly older adults too);
• Research suggests that Women are roughly two to three times more likely to develop MS versus men;
• Individuals growing up in regions closer to the equator have a lower incidence of MS. The rate of MS increases as distance from the equator increases (this may be related to diet, exposure to sunlight, and/or other lifestyle traits);
• In the US alone:
  • The average person has about one in 750 (0.1%) chance of developing MS;
  • When it comes to family:
    • For first-degree relatives of a person with MS, such as children, siblings or non-identical twins, the risk rises to approximately 2.5-5% (this risk may be potentially higher in families that have several family members with the disease);
    • The identical twin of someone with MS (who shares all the same genes) has a 25% chance of developing the disease.