Incidence of Multiple sclerosis varies annually as well as from source to source. Incidence of MS is about two and a half million people worldwide. There are great variances in numbers of affected persons between countries, however, research suggests three general factors that can be responsible for these variations. Women have twice the likelihood of being diagnosed with MS as men do, except in the pediatric world. Although MS tends to be a disease of adults more than of children, pediatric MS is present. It is important to note that, the majority of children affected by MS tend to be males until puberty. After puberty, most of the people affected by MS are females.
Environmental factors, genetics, and past infections are the 3 factors most people believe responsible for MS around the world. In fact, countries that are further from the equator have a much higher rate of MS than those close to it. The numbers of people affected vary by race as well. For example, the Lapps of northern parts of Scandinavian countries and the Maoris of New Zealand both have extremely low rates of MS. In contrast, people of Scottish and Viking descent have much higher rates of this disease and are considered to be more likely to get it.
When it comes to the prevalence of MS, it’s also beneficial to know that having a family member diagnosed with MS increases the risk of developing it. MS is not conclusively linked to genetics or any particular virus but there are some common childhood infections that are linked with an increase chance in risk of developing this illness. For example, having been infected with the herpes virus, the chicken pox virus, or the Epstein-Barr virus raises the risk of MS.
Incidence of Multiple Sclerosis in India
The prevalence of MS in India is much lower than in the rest of the world. Incidences in India also varies by region as the northern part of this country sees more MS cases than the southern part, and this is believed to be caused by a higher number of Indo-Europeans in the north. The actual prevalence of MS in India is only 1 per 100,000 people. The location of India is thought to play a high role in the low prevalence of this disease. Most tropical countries have a very low percentage of MS patients when compared to countries from temperate climates. Research suggests that this has a link with vitamin D.
The reason for this is that sunshine is the natural supply of vitamin D. Getting about ten minutes of sunlight daily will provide most people with their daily dose of Vitamin D. However, some studies suggest that adding a high dose of vitamin D to a daily diet can reduce the chance of getting MS in the first place.
Incidence of Multiple Sclerosis in people in India is low but patients there do have support in the form of Multiple Sclerosis Society of India, or MSSI. While incidence of MS in this country is not as great as in others, the MSSI which was established in 1985 is there for them. This organization is the member of MSIF (MS International Federation) which is based London and it relies on the help of volunteers. This organization offers information on new research, basic data on MS, tips on coping with the illness, as well as a list of annual events. As a non-profit group, this organization usually gets funds by hosting such annual events at their chapter organization. Of course, volunteers are always needed to help.
