'I was 35 and didn't even know what MS was'

Kate Dawson lost her sight temporarily when she was 16, which is often a sign of MS

A woman who was told she had multiple sclerosis (MS) at 35 says she had never heard of the disease, even though it is most commonly diagnosed in young adults.

Kate Dawson, from Ponteland, Northumberland, is now 49 and wants more people to be aware of the symptoms so they can get help earlier.

The condition affects the brain and spinal cord and can cause pain, mobility issues and fatigue.

More than 150,000 people live with it in the UK, yet a new survey from the MS Society shows only one in five UK adults know it is most likely to be diagnosed in people in their 30s and 40s.

Kate Dawson says open water swimming helps with her symptoms

The charity spoke to 2,000 people and also found only a third knew women were more likely to be diagnosed with MS than men, and that smoking and obesity increased a person's risk of developing it.

Ms Dawson, a fitness instructor at the time, said she became aware something was wrong when running became more difficult.

"I kept tripping over tree roots, my right leg would start dragging and I had to be aware of lifting it," she said

She later discovered an earlier medical episode may have been an early symptom.

"During my GSCEs, I lost the sight in one eye for a bit and I just thought it was stress, but they told my dad they couldn't diagnose it at that stage because you had to have multiple episodes.

"It was horrible when I finally found out, I was in denial, I didn't want to tell people, I didn't even tell my mum, I didn't want to burden anyone else."

'Greater understanding'

Ms Dawson said her main symptoms now were fatigue, loss of balance and strength in her legs.

"But I do a lot of cold water swimming and that seems to really help," Ms Dawson added.

MS is the most common neurological condition among young adults and Sarah Rawlings from the MS said it could be "debilitating, exhausting and unpredictable".

She added: "However greater understanding can make a huge difference and make conversations with family, friends and employers that little bit easier."