ABSTRACT
According to the International Classi’cation of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF),1 personal factors are internal features of an individual that are not part of the health condition itself and can be used to distinguish individuals who are similar in their health condition, functioning, and environment. Personal factors can interact with, and inuence, the functional consequences of a person’s health condition.1 The focus of this chapter is on age and sex and how these two factors can inuence a client’s functioning, experience with multiple sclerosis (MS), and his or her rehabilitation process. Sex refers to the anatomical and associated hormonal differences that distinguish a person as being male or female. Since functioning is heavily inuenced by social and cultural expectations about what constitutes appropriate roles, responsibilities, and performance for men and women, this chapter also indirectly addresses the role of gender. Gender is de„ned as the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one’s sex. To illustrate the role of personal factors on the health and functioning of people with MS, four cases will be introduced in the
CONTENTS
18.1 Cases .................................................................................................................................... 418 18.2 Age Inuences on MS ........................................................................................................ 418
18.2.1 Children and Teens with MS ............................................................................... 419 18.2.1.1 Epidemiology of Pediatric MS ...............................................................420 18.2.1.2 Clinical Presentation and Medical Treatment ....................................420 18.2.1.3 Activity Participation and Implications for Rehabilitation ............... 421
18.2.2 Older Adults with MS ...........................................................................................422 18.2.2.1 Life Expectancy .......................................................................................422 18.2.2.2 Late-Onset MS .........................................................................................423 18.2.2.3 Age-Related Changes and MS ...............................................................423 18.2.2.4 Implications for Rehabilitation.............................................................. 424
18.3 Sex Inuences on MS .........................................................................................................425 18.3.1 Epidemiology .........................................................................................................426 18.3.2 Unique Features of MS in Men ............................................................................426 18.3.3 Unique Features of MS in Women ......................................................................427
