What Is Multiple Sclerosis?
Causes, Prevalence and Diagnosis
- No one knows exactly what causes MS. Scientists believe that MS occurs when people with the right mix of genes are exposed to some trigger in the environment. Research is ongoing to identify the cause of MS.Read about potential causes of MS and the environmental and lifestyle factors that play a role.
- Researchers have identified factors involved in who may have MS, including:
- Age
- Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) exposure/infectious mononucleosis
- Genetics
- Geography
- Ethnic background
- Low vitamin D level
- Obesity in adolescence
- Smoking
- Healthcare providers use several strategies to diagnose the disease, but currently there are no symptoms, exams, tests or scans that can, by themselves, prove that you have MS. Learn more about how clinicians diagnose MS.
