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How Common is MS?

How common is MS? In the United Kingdom it occurs in approximately 1 in 800 people, affecting around 90,000 people, and in northern Europe approximately 1 in 1,000. In the US, there are between 250,000 and 350,000 people with MS, and it has been estimated that there are about 2.5 million people with MS worldwide. There is evidence that the disease is becoming more common.

In Australia there is a marked increase in incidence the further one is away from the equator. In far north Queensland for instance the disease affects about 12 people per 100,000, rising to about 36 in New South Wales, and peaking at around 76 people per 100,000 in Tasmania. This effect of MS being more common the further one gets from the equator applies from country to country as well as within countries.

Sex and Age Distribution

MS typically affects people in their twenties or thirties but no age is immune. With better diagnostic tests these days, MS has been found in very young children, and in the elderly. Experts have estimated that as many as 20,000 children in the USA may have the disease but are not yet diagnosed. Children have been diagnosed with MS as young as 4 years old. Women are affected more commonly than men, in a ratio of around 3:2, although the ratio is changing towards a greater female preponderance.