M S Awareness
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Wiki: Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis ( MS ), also known as "disseminated sclerosis" or "encephalomyelitis disseminata", is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms . [ 1 ] Disease onset usually occurs in young adults, and it is more common in women. [ 1 ] It has a prevalence that ranges between 2 and 150 per 100,000. [ 2 ] MS was first described in 1868 by Jean-Martin Charcot . [ 3 ] MS affects the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other effectively. Nerve cells communicate by sending electrical signals called action potentials down long fibers called axons , which are contained within an insulating substance called myelin .