Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a long-term (chronic) disease that affects the brain, optic nerve, and spinal cord, which make up the central nervous system. MS damages the coating around the nerve fibers (myelin). When nerve fibers lose this protective coating, it stops the brain from sending messages to the rest of the nervous system. It can result in pain, problems with eyesight or balance, and other complications.
People with MS can feel fine one day and suddenly have symptoms the next.
Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
Symptoms of MS can include:
- Numbness or weakness in the arms and legs
- Tingling, stinging, or numbness in the skin
- Electric shock sensations when you move your neck a certain way, especially when you tilt it forward
- Coordination and balance problems
- Speech, hearing, and vision problems (double vision, blurred vision, blindness in one eye, or pain when moving the eye)
- Vertigo
- Mood swings
- Fatigue or tiredness
- Sexual function problems
- Loss of bladder control
- Bowel problems
Not everyone diagnosed with MS has the same symptoms, so it can be difficult to diagnose. In many cases, it can take a long time to confirm a diagnosis.
The Effect of MS in the U.S. Hispanic Community
According to a clinical trial funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, for every 100,000 Hispanic people in the United States, 161 have multiple sclerosis. That’s about one person out of every thousand people.
MS is much more common in people of other races and ethnicities. Yet Hispanic people tend to have more severe symptoms, such as problems getting around and vision disorders.
Hispanic people in the United States are still an understudied group in clinical trials. So there is still no clear idea of how MS develops in this community.
Is MS Becoming More Common Among Hispanic People?
The effect of MS on Hispanic people is not very straightforward. In a recent clinical trial, a group of researchers tried to determine whether MS is more common in people of certain races and ethnicities.
The researchers focused their clinical trial on Hispanic adults living in Southern California. They found that MS is more common:
- Among young Hispanic people than it is among young White people
- Among older White people than it is among older Hispanic people
According to the researchers, it’s not clear whether MS is an emerging disease among Hispanic people who are born or live in the United States. But it’s possible. So we need more studies to see if it’s true.
These research results suggest that MS and how severe its symptoms are in Hispanic people may be caused by several things.
Hispanic people are not a monolith. Hispanic people who were born or live in the United States and who have MS represent a diverse group of many different ancestral and cultural backgrounds. It’s true that genetic background likely plays a role in the development of this disease in the Hispanic community. But to understand how, we need more clinical trials that take into account the diversity of Hispanic people.
Socioeconomic barriers. Hispanic people in the United States face socioeconomic barriers that can have a negative effect on their health. Typical barriers can include having no health insurance or a poor health insurance plan, low income, and no access to a medical interpreter who can help them understand their diagnosis. As a result, Hispanic people may be more prone to several diseases, such as MS.
Diet and level of physical activity. There are many Hispanic people in the United States who work long hours, which doesn’t leave them much time or energy to exercise or prepare healthy foods. These things can influence the advancement of MS or how severe its symptoms are.
Lack of representation in clinical trials. To really understand the effect of MS on this diverse population, researchers must include more Hispanic people in their studies. Doing so can also help identify the right treatments for this community.
It’s important to highlight that doctors are starting to diagnose more cases of MS in some Latin American countries, particularly in Puerto Rico and Argentina. Researchers still need to figure out if there are more cases because MS is an emerging disease in those countries or because people weren’t getting diagnosed.
Show Sources
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SOURCES:
News release, National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
JAMA Neurology: “Population-Based Estimates for the Prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis in the United States by Race, Ethnicity, Age, Sex, and Geographic Region.”
Mayo Clinic: “Multiple sclerosis.”
Multiple Sclerosis Journal – Experimental, Translational and Clinical: “MS in self-identified Hispanic/Latino individuals living in the US.”
National Institutes of Health, MedlinePlus Magazine: “Multiple sclerosis: What you need to know.”
National Multiple Sclerosis Society: “MS in the Hispanic/Latinx Community.”
Neurology: “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Multiple Sclerosis Prevalence.”
Salud America!: “MS in Latinos: What Do We Know?”
