At What Age Do You Get Multiple Sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis usually affects people between the ages of 20 and 50 years, and the average age of onset is approximately 34 years.

Diagnosing multiple sclerosis is difficult. The vague and nonspecific nature of this disease mimics many other diseases. Doctors combine history, physical exam, laboratory work, and sophisticated medical imaging techniques to arrive at a diagnosis.

• A complete blood count (CBC), blood chemistry, urinalysis, and often spinal fluid evaluation are all routine laboratory tests used to rule out other conditions and help confirm the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
• An MRI, which creates an image of the brain or the spinal cord, is used to search for changes within the brain or spinal cord that are particular to multiple sclerosis.
• More often than not, a neurology specialist is required to make a diagnosis.

For more information, read our full medical article on multiple sclerosis