I. What is multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory, demyelinating disease involving the white matter of the central nervous system, an autoimmune disease that occurs as a result of the interaction between genetically predisposed individuals and environmental factors. Its development may be related to viral infections, autoimmune reactions, genetic factors and environmental factors. What are the clinical characteristics and manifestations of multiple sclerosis? The disease occurs mostly in young and middle-aged people, and occasionally in people under 10 years old and over 60 years old. The disease can occur in both men and women, and the ratio of men to women is 1:2. The clinical characteristics of multiple sclerosis are spatial multiplicity and temporal multiplicity. Spatial multiplicity refers to the multiplicity of lesion sites, which can involve the brain, cerebellum, brainstem, spinal cord and optic nerve; temporal multiplicity refers to the course of remission-relapse, which leaves behind neurological dysfunction due to repeated attacks, so the course of multiple sclerosis is a stepwise development. The disease course of multiple sclerosis is a stepwise progression, with damage increasing with each exacerbation, and it is difficult to restore the damage to the previous level. The most common first symptoms of multiple sclerosis are limb numbness and sensory abnormalities (1/3); ataxia (1/5); ocular symptoms (nystagmus, diplopia or hypermetropia) generally account for about 20% of the neurological symptoms, which vary with the anatomical site of involvement. The clinical symptoms may vary with the anatomical site of involvement.