MS is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 49 years, though in rare cases MS is observed in childhood and adolescence before the age of 18 years, or at the age of 50 years and later (3). When the onset of the disease occurs at 50 years or older it is conventionally defined as late onset MS (LOMS).
MS can occur at any age, but onset usually occurs around 20 and 40 years of age.
Typically, people are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) between the ages of 20 and 40, but late-onset MS (LOMS) begins to affect people ages 50 and older.
Only 3.4% of people with MS are diagnosed with RMS after age 50, considered late-onset MS, and only 1% are diagnosed after the age 60, considered very late-onset MS. In contrast, the primary progressive MS (PPMS) phenotype tends to present after age 45 and accounts for 10% to 15% of cases.
When it comes to age, multiple sclerosis (MS) doesn't discriminate. Although most people are between 20 and 50 when they're diagnosed, the disease can strike folks who are older. This is called late-onset MS and it's commonly defined as the occurrence of the first MS symptoms after age 50.
While there is no definitive blood test for MS, blood tests can rule out other conditions that cause symptoms similar to those of MS, including lupus erythematosis, Sjogren's, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, some infections, and rare hereditary diseases.
Regardless of age of onset, MS is caused by the immune system mistakenly attacking the brain and nerves, but it's not clear why this happens. Experts believe it may be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Research suggests MS is diagnosed in adults over age 50 in approximately 5% of cases. This is also called “late-onset MS.”
Most symptoms develop abruptly, within hours or days. These attacks or relapses of MS typically reach their peak within a few days at most and then resolve slowly over the next several days or weeks so that a typical relapse will be symptomatic for about eight weeks from onset to recovery. Resolution is often complete.
People should consider the diagnosis of MS if they have one or more of these symptoms: vision loss in one or both eyes. acute paralysis in the legs or along one side of the body. acute numbness and tingling in a limb.
MS changes with age. Early on it's often the relapsing-remitting form. You alternate between relapses and symptom-free periods. As you get older, MS becomes more of a progressive disease.
Numbness or Tingling
A lack of feeling or a pins-and-needles sensation can be the first sign of the nerve damage from MS. It usually happens in the face, arms, or legs, and on one side of the body.
Multiple sclerosis usually affects people between the ages of 20 and 50 years, and the average age of onset is approximately 34 years. Multiple sclerosis can affect children and teens (pediatric MS). It has been estimated that 2%-5% of people with MS develop symptoms prior to age 18.
In people with MS, the immune system attacks cells in the myelin, the protective sheath that surrounds nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Damage to the myelin sheath interrupts nerve signals from your brain to other parts of your body. The damage can lead to symptoms affecting your brain, spinal cord and eyes.
Researchers said the study suggests that “it is not uncommon for people with relapsing MS “to have only mild or no physical or cognitive dysfunction approximately three decades after clinical onset.” MS may have a bimodal progression, the team said.
The study found that people with MS lived to be 75.9 years old, on average, compared to 83.4 years old for those without.
Causes of multiple sclerosis
your genes – MS isn't directly inherited, but people who are related to someone with the condition are more likely to develop it; the chance of a sibling or child of someone with MS also developing it is estimated to be around 2 to 3 in 100.
Here's where MS (typically) starts
Optic neuritis, or inflammation of the optic nerve, is usually the most common, Shoemaker says. You may experience eye pain, blurred vision and headache. It often occurs on one side and can eventually lead to partial or total vision loss.
Early signs and symptoms of MS
tingling and numbness. pains and spasms. weakness or fatigue. balance problems or dizziness.
In the general population, the risk of developing MS is about 1 in 750-1000. What are other risk factors for MS? Evidence shows that low vitamin D levels, smoking and obesity all play important roles in the development of MS. Many viruses and bacteria have been or are being investigated in connection with MS as well.
Although the person with MS knows from their experience that their MS symptoms started after or alongside a stressful period of time, there is no direct evidence that stress causes MS — although it might trigger it.
MS is not directly inherited from parent to child. There's no single gene that causes it. Over 200 genes might affect your chances of getting MS. But genes are only part of the story.