Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series about multiple sclerosis, an auto-immune disease that attacks the central nervous system.
Statistically, North Dakota and Ohio have the second-highest incidence rates in the nation, followed only by New York state. There are numerous possible triggers including a lack of Vitamin D, heritage and radiation.
Because March brings attention to multiple sclerosis in the United States, it seems appropriate to present information about this disease of which there is no cure.
And just to be clear, North Dakota has among the highest rates of MS per 100,000 people. Nationally, the highest rates are northern latitude states with a couple of exceptions.
MS can strike just about anyone at any age, but the highest statistics, by far, are among women age 20-40. MS rates among men in that same age group are two-times less. There is no definitive reason for this, however, several theories. They include vitamin D deficiency, hereditary and environmental issues such as exposure to unusual amounts of radiation.
Statistically, MS is all over the map. It’s very difficult to pin down comparative numbers, although some are available that can shed some light on this mystery.
It’s always been believed that the higher the latitude, the greater the chance of contracting MS. And that remains true to a point, in the United States. In Europe, that’s not always the case.
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2.9 million people in the world suffer from MS with 1 million living in the United States. The highest rates per country per 100,000 people include include Germany 303, the United States 288, Canada 250, Norway 248, Iceland 212 and the United Kingdom 196.
The lowest rates in the world include Panama with 6 people per 100,000 and Russia with 3.8 per 100,000 which certainly defies the latitude argument.
Statewide statistics are very similar. New York has the highest rate per 100,000 at 377 with Syracuse having the highest rate of any city in the nation. North Dakota and Ohio have the second highest rate at 353, followed by Michigan 348, Minnesota 343, with Olmstead County including Rochester and Mayo Clinic, with the highest incidence rate of any county in the United States, and Wisconsin 338. The Montana rate is 250 per 100,000.
The lowest rates of MS are in Hawaii and Alaska. Hawaii’s rate is 47 per 100,000 and Alaska’s rate is even lower at 22 per 100,000, again defying the higher latitude argument.
But because MS incident rates are among the lowest among First Nations people, it could explain the lower rates in Alaska and Russia because of sizable native populations.
In Canada, MS rates are very similar to those in the northern U.S. Alberta has the highest incidence of any province with 358 people per 100,000 contracting MS, followed by Saskatchewan at 315.
Other provinces use different measuring mechanisms so it would be unfair to compare, although Maritime Canada has similar rate as those in the New England states.
According to the National MS Society, rates have been increasing steadily since 1976 and took a huge jump between 2009 and 2010. But, it’s possible part of that increase could be the result of better diagnoses.
In 1976, there were 58 people per 100,000 with the disease. By 1994, it had risen to 85. In 2009, the rate was 209 and it jumped to 309 in just one year. By 2017, the rate had increased again to 362.
It is possible that with an increasing population comes an increased risk. But the increase in cases doesn’t seem to match the increase in population levels over the past 50 years.
It has been known that radiation is a cause of MS. In fact, a study of the people who were exposed and survived the Chernobyl explosion in 1986, indicated nearly all of them contracted MS.
However, a stronger belief is in the lack of Vitamin D. Just about every study out there will tell you there is a link between MS and Vitamin D deficiency. It is also assumed that Vitamin D doesn’t prevent MS, but adequate use of it can minimize the risk or even control some of its symptoms, according to Mayo Clinic.
