Multiple Sclerosis: A Review

5and 50% of patients will need help walking within 15 years after the onset of the disease. 6 Twice as many women are affected as men, and persons of Northern European descent appear to be at highest risk for MS. 2,7 The disease is diagnosed on the basis of clinical findings and supporting evidence from ancillary tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and examination of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). MS typically presents in adults 20 to 45 years of age; occasionally, it presents in childhood or late middle age. 7