Background - Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

MS was first described in 1838, but was not recognized as a specific disease until 30 years later. An immunologic cause of MS was not seriously investigated until after World War II; and disease-modifying drugs that directly fight MS only began to appear in the early 1990s. Approximately 400,000 Americans acknowledge having MS, and every week about 200 individuals are diagnosed with MS. Worldwide, MS may affect more than 2.5 Million individuals. The vast majority of the individuals inflicted with MS live a normal lifespan but MS patients may struggle to live productive lives, often with increasing limitations.

MS is a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system (the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord) characterized by the destruction of the myelin sheath surrounding nerve cells, and often leading to the irreversible degeneration of the nerve cells themselves. This destructive process causes a variety of disabling and sometimes painful symptoms including blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, paralysis and blindness.

MS is an autoimmune disorder, meaning that the patient's own immune system attacks the nerve tissue. There is no full understanding of the cause and mechanism of the disease; and, while a variety of effective treatments have been shown to reduce some symptoms and, in some cases, arrest the progress of the disease, there is no cure for MS.