Summary
FEATURES
See the full content of this document
Extract
Prevalence of multiple sclerosis in 19 Texas Counties, 1998-2000.
Introduction
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system (Institute of Medicine, 2001). Estimates of the number of people affected in the United States range from 250,000 to 350,000 (Anderson et al., 1992). National prevalence estimates vary from 57 to 160 per 100,000 population (Anderson et al.; Baum & Rothschild, 1981; Noonan, Kathman, & White, 2002; Wynn, Rodriguez, O'Fallon, & Kurland, 1990). Many of these estimates are not current, however, and depend on the methodology and population sample used for the estimate. Although MS is not usually fatal, it usually results in severe disability and decreased quality of life, with enormous economic and emotional costs for the affected individuals, families, and society. The etiology of MS is unknown, but it differentially affects women, people between the ages of 30 and 60 years, and Caucasians (Hauser, 1994). Diagnosis of MS is often difficult because no single clinical sign or diagnostic test is unique to this disease and ...See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
