It is estimated that 2,500,000 (2.5million) individuals in the world and one million in the United States have multiple sclerosis. However, there are studies that say the figures are underrepresented and the real number of MS patients might be much higher than the statistics.
Comparing different prevalence and incidence rates across different countries and ethnic groups is a difficult process because of many factors. This includes differences in the choice of diagnosis criteria, study methodologies, and geographical factors. Diversity in population and the impossibility of conducting the studies at the same time across the world are also to be considered.
According to the studies conducted by WHO, the regions with the highest number of cases reported are Europe, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Western Pacific, South-East Asia and Africa respectively. However, there are no data for some of the big countries like Russia.
Researches propose the proportion of women with MS is increasing which generally between two and three women have MS for each man with the condition. However, pregnancy is secure for both mother and child. MS does not prevent a woman’s chance of getting to be pregnant or of carrying a child to full term. The condition doesn’t affect life expectancy in the majority of cases. There are unordinary variants of MS that can be exceptionally forceful and possibly shorten life, but these are not the pattern.
