![What is multiple sclerosis? Selma Blair opened up about the disease after leaving "Dancing with the Stars"](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2019/02/26/ce8216f6-1b33-4834-a414-24775f69806a/thumbnail/1200x630/9a07e27c11cf20fb443e55c14d048080/gettyimages-1127207741.jpg)
What is multiple sclerosis? Selma Blair opened up about the disease after leaving "Dancing with the Stars"
CBSN
Selma Blair revealed this week she was leaving "Dancing with the Stars" due to complications from multiple sclerosis. The disease, commonly referred to as MS, affects nearly 1 million adults in the U.S. and it could be disabling.
Most people receive an MS diagnosis between the ages of 20 and 40 and the disease is more common in women than men, according to the Cleveland Clinic, a nonprofit academic medical center.
MS is a disease of the brain and spinal cord and it can disable people because it affects the central nervous system, according to Mayo Clinic, another nonprofit academic medical center. The myelin, or protective sheath that covers nerve fibers, is attacked by the immune system, resulting in communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body.
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This story previously aired on Feb. 10, 2024. It was updated on Feb. 15, 2025. AMIE HARWICK (video): You can seek therapy to address an issue like depression, anxiety, a breakup. You can also seek therapy to be a better you! GARETH PURSEHOUSE (voicemail): I have so much I need to say. Please give me a chance to just say it. … Please (crying) please.
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Signaling a major shift in civil rights enforcement, the federal agency that enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws has moved to dismiss six of its own cases on behalf of workers alleging gender identity discrimination, arguing that the cases now conflict with President Donald Trump's recent executive order, court documents say.