There is no surefire way to preventmultiple sclerosis (MS).
What triggers this attack is poorly understood.
Read on to learn more about how you might be able to reduce your MS risk.
Verywell / Laura Porter
Certain MS risk factors are “non-modifiable” which means that you cannot change them.
Here are a few examples.
Researchers think that hormones could play a role in the difference.
Verywell / Michela Buttignol
How Common Is MS?
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, nearly 1 million people in the United States have the disease.
It is estimated that 74% of those 1 million cases occur in females.
Ethnicity
Your ethnic background may also play a role in your susceptibility to developing MS.
Although all ethnic groups can get MS, it is most commonly reported in Caucasian people of European descent.
More recent research has shown that Black females are more susceptible to the disease than was previously thought.
Variants in genes known as HLA Class II and Class I alleles can drive the increased risk of MS. One specific HLA gene (HLA DRB15:01) is thought to be the main culprit behind MS risk.
The things that you could change are called “modifiable risk factors” and include aspects of your lifestyle.
Lifestyle
Certain lifestyle factors are associated with the onset of MS such as smoking cigarettes andobesity.
The importance of exercise in preventing MS starts in early adolescence.
That said, just having an EBV infection alone is not a guarantee that you will develop MS.
There are also other risk factors in addition to having the virus that contributes to the risk.
It’s not yet clear exactly what causes it, and there is no cure.
MS is a progressive disease.
Once it develops, it will get worse over time.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society.What Causes MS?
Ascherio A.Environmental factors in multiple sclerosis.Expert Rev Neurother.2013 Dec;13(12 Suppl):3-9. doi:10.1586/14737175.2013.865866
