What is MS

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a life-long neurological condition affecting 5000 New Zealanders across Aotearoa. Increasingly being diagnosed in younger people, it often emerges between the ages of 20 to 50. Women are three times more likely to be diagnosed than men. 

A complex condition, MS presents with a range of symptoms. No two people experience MS in the same way, or the same combination of symptoms.

In most cases, MS is now treatable and manageable with timely diagnosis, access to treatment and lifestyle modifications. As yet, there is no cure or known cause of MS, but many genetic and environmental factors have been shown to contribute to its development.

MS doesn’t just affect those diagnosed but also their family, whānau, carers and support system. MS services are available throughout New Zealand for all those affected.

What is MS?

What happens in MS?

In multiple sclerosis the body’s own immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath (the fatty protective insulation around nerve fibers) in the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.
 
Inflammation strips away patches of myelin (a process called demyelination) and replaces it with scar tissue (sclerosis). Over time, repeated cycles of demyelination and scarring can damage the underlying nerve axons, leading to permanent loss of function.
 
When myelin is lost, electrical impulses slow down, messages are not sent or misdirected around the body. This disruption can produce a wide range of neurological symptoms—vision problems (like optic neuritis), numbness or tingling, muscle weakness or spasticity, coordination and balance issues, bladder or bowel dysfunction, and profound fatigue. The symptoms a person with MS will experience, depends on where demyelinated lesions appear in the central nervous system. This makes MS highly unpredictable from person to person.

Knowledge is Power

In multiple sclerosis the body’s own immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath (the fatty protective insulation around nerve fibers) in the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.
 
Inflammation strips away patches of myelin (a process called demyelination) and replaces it with scar tissue (sclerosis). Over time, repeated cycles of demyelination and scarring can damage the underlying nerve axons, leading to permanent loss of function.
 
When myelin is lost, electrical impulses slow down, messages are not sent or misdirected around the body. This disruption can produce a wide range of neurological symptoms—vision problems (like optic neuritis), numbness or tingling, muscle weakness or spasticity, coordination and balance issues, bladder or bowel dysfunction, and profound fatigue. The symptoms a person with MS will experience, depends on where demyelinated lesions appear in the central nervous system. This makes MS highly unpredictable from person to person.

MS Symptoms

MS has many symptoms which can be experienced in different parts of the body. 

MS Symptoms:

  • will depend on which part of the brain, optic nerve or spinal cord is affected.
  • are variable for each person and unpredictable.
  • some are noticeable, while others are invisible.
  • can be a one-off occurrence, episodic (come and go) or steadily progress, changing in severity over time.

 

There are lots of symptoms that MS can cause, but it is important to remember that not everyone will experience all of them, or in the same way.

Living Well with MS

At Multiple Sclerosis NZ, we’re committed to providing clear, practical, and reliable evidence-based information to support people with MS, their families, and health professionals.

Our website contains a wealth of information to explore. We also provide a range of resources from booklets and information sheets to posters and symptom management guides, all designed to help you understand and live well with multiple sclerosis.

Our Living Well with MS booklet is a great starting point, offering an overview of MS, diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment options, along with insights on living well day to day.

It is also a useful resource for family, whānau, friends and those supporting people with MS.

By being informed you can take control of your health, make the right choices for you and ultimately manage your MS as best you can.

What causes MS?

The cause of MS is still unknown. Both genetic and environmental factors are strongly considered to be involved, but their interaction is not fully understood.

MS is not directly hereditary, though close family members have a slightly higher risk. If you are diagnosed with MS this does not mean your children will be.

Environmental factors considered to increase the risk of MS include exposure to Epstein Barr Virus, Vitamin D and sun exposure, where you were born, smoking history, stress.

Researcher working in the laboratory

What can you do to manage MS?

Time matters in MS.

When diagnosed and treated early alongside lifestyle modifications people with MS can live long and full lives, the same anyone else.

While we don’t currently have a cure for MS, the research is getting us closer every day.

A range of excellent treatments are available in Aotearoa to manage MS, often halting any further disease progression.

Taking control of your own health and making positive lifestyle modifications has been proven to help to manage MS, reducing the impacts of the condition and lowering the risk of disease progression.

Changes you can make to your lifestyle include: