News

Susan Kinski's MS diagnosis

Mon 4th February 2008

Susan Kinski received her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis this week and her shocked family is trying to adjust to the fact that she now has to live with a chronic condition.
 
So what really is MS, and how common is it? Believe it or not, you might already know someone who has it but you just don't notice! When people think of MS, many associate it with an elderly person in a wheelchair, but that is a long way from the truth.
 
There are about 85,000 people in the UK with MS. Most are diagnosed in their 20s and 30s and the first symptoms are often numbness, pins and needles, and burning sensations in the arms or legs. Other common signs are double vision or loss of sight in one eye, fatigue or weakness of the limbs, and balance problems. No two people with MS experience the same symptoms to the same degree.
 
Many people can live normal lives and you'd never guess that they have MS. Lots of symptoms can be managed with treatment and medications.  For others, the disease is more aggressive and they may become progressively disabled.  However, rapid progression is rare, and most people with MS will continue to enjoy an active life many years after their diagnosis.
 
The cause of MS is not yet fully understood but is thought to be a combination of environmental and genetic factors. One theory is that some people have certain groups of genes that make them more likely to develop MS. It may be that an external factor, such as a virus, triggers a reaction in people with this genetic predisposition, causing the immune system to malfunction and attack the protective covering of the nerves in the brain.
 
Even though there is no cure there are treatments that make living with MS easier, and the world of research is moving forward at a huge speed.  Our understanding of MS is constantly improving and many new medications and treatments are in development. 
 
For more information about MS please see the MS Trust website at http://www.mstrust.org.uk or call our information team on 01462 476700