Denmark has one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world 

Only San Marino and Canada have a higher prevalence and no-one knows why 

In Denmark, there are 16,000 people struggling with multiple sclerosis – the third highest-rate per capita in the world behind just San Marino and Canada. 

Right now, there is nothing to explain why Denmark has such a high rate of the illness, according to Finn Sellebjerg, a doctor at the Sclerosis Centre and the Rigshospitalet city hospital. 

“The most concerning thing is that we’ve seen a doubling of the number of people with multiple sclerosis in Denmark over the past 20 years and we don’t understand why,” Sellebjerg told DR Nyheder. 

READ MORE: DTU moves up in innovation rankings

1,000 faces
Sellebjerg did contend that part of the explanation could be that doctors have become better at making a diagnosis, particularly of milder cases – which was not possible earlier. 

Multiple sclerosis is a disorder that affects people in a multitude of different ways, which is why it’s referred to as being the illness with a 1,000 faces. 

Some people feel extreme fatigue or have trouble concentrating, while others are confined to wheelchairs or have sensory disturbances in arms or legs. 

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