New survey tells us about awareness of MS
We’ve surveyed more than 2,000 people around the UK through the polling company Opinium to find out what awareness of MS is like.
It’s revealed only one in five UK adults know MS is most likely to be diagnosed in people in their 30s and 40s. Despite this, almost three quarters (75%) of people in that age group, who were aware of MS, didn't know:
- there’s a usual age for MS diagnosis
- what that age is
The survey also found:
- Almost nine in ten people have heard of MS (89%)
- Of those who’ve heard of it, 82% know it’s a lifelong condition, 78% know it affects nerves in the brain and spine, and most are also aware it’s unpredictable (75%)
- But only a third know women are more likely to be diagnosed with MS than men (36%)
- And less than a third (30%) know that smoking, obesity and lack of sunlight can increase a person’s risk of developing MS
"I was only diagnosed with MS after a massive relapse"
A few people in the public eye are living with MS, including British Paralympian and our Ambassador Kadeena Cox OBE, who was diagnosed with MS aged 23. And actors Selma Blair and Christina Applegate, who were both in their 40s when they found out they had MS.
Nin Sambhi is 40 and from Staffordshire: “I was diagnosed at 37. Before that I had things like eye shudders and itchy skin, looking back they may all have been sensation and nerve related. Nothing was investigated until I had a massive relapse, I went into hospital on a Monday and was diagnosed on Friday.
“I’d never heard of MS, I was gutted, absolutely gutted. I couldn’t walk, couldn’t do anything. The fear for me was thinking that was how it was always going to be, and my girls were only 4 and 6."
The first thing people said was ‘you are so young’ they assumed older people get MS. It would help loads if people had greater understanding.”
Years to get an MS diagnosis
Jess O’Hare is 43 and from Liverpool: “It took me years to get a diagnosis. Originally, I kept going to the doctors because of fatigue, I just did not feel normal. It was only when I went completely numb that I got sent to neurology. I got the actual results in 2019. I’d never heard of MS before, I didn’t have a clue what it was."
“I did kind of think it was an old person’s thing. I worried that if I feel like this now, how am I going to feel in 20 or 30 years. Family and friends just responded with shock more than anything, people didn’t know what it was.”
We need more awareness of MS
Our Executive Director of Research and External Affairs is Sarah Rawlings: “It’s great so many people in the UK have heard of multiple sclerosis. But these new findings show we have lots of work to do to increase understanding around the condition affecting younger people.
“MS can be debilitating, exhausting and unpredictable and we know it often strikes at a time when people are making big life choices about careers, relationships and family. If there’s greater understanding of MS – that could make a huge difference, from taking the fear away from a diagnosis, to making conversations with family, friends and employers that little bit easier.”
Questions about MS?
Our MS Helpline is here for everyone affected by MS. We’re here Monday to Friday, 9am to 7pm except bank holidays and public holidays.
It’s free to call from landlines and mobiles within the UK. What you tell us is confidential and when you call us, it won’t show on your phone bill.
Share your story
Just like MS, every MS story is unique.
We'd love to hear about your MS stories, from diagnosis to how you told loved ones and employers. Maybe you have found an interesting way to manage your symptoms or want to tell us about the challenges you have faced?
We're always on the look out for stories about life with MS to share with the community. So get in touch.
You may also be interested in
