IT IS an incurable - often invisible - disease, and it is on the rise - particularly among women, and particularly in Newcastle.
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Multiple sclerosis rates have doubled in Newcastle in the past 15 years, with diagnosed women outnumbering men three to one, guests at a national symposium in Newcastle heard on Thursday.
Keynote speaker, Professor Jeannette Lechner-Scott - of the John Hunter Hospital's neurology department - said more data had been collected in Newcastle, but the local rates were higher than the national average. She said there had been studies done in other areas that showed air pollution might play a role in the higher incidence.
"It is not only what you eat, but what you breathe in, that can stimulate the immune system, and this is what you don't want," she said. "There is definitely evidence that asthma is higher in Newcastle than it is elsewhere, and asthma has a lot of parallels with MS. But there is a more research to be done."
Professor Lechner-Scott said their MS clinic in Newcastle was already "stretched to the limit".
"We have built up a fantastic service that is very much appreciated locally, and also nationally and internationally, but it needs to be maintained, and keep up with the increasing number of patients," she said. "There is not enough neurologists in Newcastle. There is a real gap. We are struggling to see patients as quickly as they need to be seen, and that will get worse as we see the incidence increase further."
MS is a disease that attacks the brain, spine and optic nerves. It affects more than 25,000 Australians.
Nissa Lee Phillips was 24 when she was diagnosed with the neurological disease after experiencing invisible symptoms such as "tingles", blurred vision, disabling fatigue, and heat intolerance.
"I was travelling around Australia at the time and I came home because I knew something was wrong. Half my face had collapsed, and I thought I was having a stroke," said. "It was scary. All I knew about MS was wheelchairs and horrible futures. It took me years to find some good news stories."
She now runs a peer support group in Carrington.
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Related: MS on the rise in Australia
