Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system (CNS), although it was first recognised almost 150 years ago, the cause is still unknown. It is the most common neurological disease in young adults, latest research suggests at least 100,000 people are affected in the UK alone. More women than men are affected by MS (a ratio of at least 2:1). It is generally first diagnosed when the person is in their 20's or 30's, but it also increasingly being diagnosed in children as well, the youngest known being only 5 years old.

The CNS consists of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. The nerve fibres of the CNS are surrounded by a fatty tissue called Myelin (white matter), which protects the nerve fibres and enables them to conduct electrical impulses around the body. Nobody knows why, but in MS the myelin is attacked by the bodies own immune system, causing scarring (sclerosis) at various points in the CNS, sometimes the nerve fibres themselves may be damaged or broken.

When this myelin loss or nerve fibre damage occurs, the ability of the nerves to conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain is disrupted, they become garbled or lost and it is this which leads to the various symptoms of MS.

MS sufferers and their families are affected in many different ways by the disease. As the symptoms and level of disability of the sufferer increase it affects their working, family and social lives.