Who gets MS?

The study of the geographical distribution of a condition and patterns of disease as it affects groups of people is called epidemiology.

Terminology

Prevalence - the number of people with a condition. Usually measured in cases per 100,000
Incidence - the number of new cases of a condition within a set period of time, usually a year

An estimated 2,500,000 people in the world have MS - including about 85,000 in the UK. Roughly two women have MS for every man with the condition.
The distribution of MS around the world is uneven. Generally, the prevalence increases as you travel further north or south from the equator. Those parts of Asia, Africa and America that lie on the equator have extremely low levels of MS, whilst Canada and Scotland have particularly high rates.

Race

A simple geographical spread is not the whole picture. Studies show that certain ethnic groups have a markedly lower prevalence of MS, despite living in countries where MS is common. For instance, the Lapps of northern Scandinavia and the Inuits in Canada have very low rates of MS. A similar pattern is observed amongst the Maoris of New Zealand.
The fact that MS is most prevalent in northern Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand has led to speculation that it has been carried around the world by European colonists and settlers. It has been suggested that the origins can be traced back to the Vikings who colonised read more