Multiple sclerosis affects women more

June 1, 2018.

On the occasion of World Multiple Sclerosis Day, which was held on May 30, we take stock of this disease, which affects women more than men.

Women first affected by multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects women more than men, often begins between the ages of 25 and 35. Today 100,000 people suffer from it in France, three out of four patients are women. Figures on the rise since the sixties undoubtedly linked to the change in women’s lives.

Increased smoking, hormonal changes linked to the use of contraceptives, the arrival of the first child later, change in diet and urbanization are avenues taken very seriously by researchers who are trying to understand the causes of this feminization of the disease.

Living with Multiple Sclerosis

The positive point lies in the evolution and advances in treatments to enable patients to live better and reduce the frequency of seizures associated with this disease which affects the central nervous system : the brain and spinal cord. Twenty years ago, there was no treatment, today there are eight.

Multiple sclerosis is the second leading cause of disability in young adults. It is possible to live with it, to build life plans, to have children. The challenge for scientists? Find a way to recreate the myelin – sheath that surrounds the branches of neurons also called axons – where it has been damaged.

Maylis Choné

Read our file: Multiple sclerosis