According to Public Health England, around 130,000 people have the disease - or one in 500.

But despite its prevalence, some people with multiple sclerosis still feel that not enough people know about it, and say it can be an "invisible" disease because symptoms aren't always obvious.

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease — when there is a problem with the immune system that mistakenly attacks healthy parts of the body — in this case, the nervous system, the brain or spinal cord.

This can lead to a range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, fatigue, pain, sensation or balance. It is a lifelong condition that can sometimes lead to severe, although sometimes mild, disability. Some may be confined to wheelchairs forever, while others can walk, leading to a "lack of understanding" by the public. Therefore, for those affected, raising awareness is almost as important as addressing symptoms.

A treatment centre in Portsmouth hopes to use this Medical Awareness Week (25 April - 1 May) to raise awareness of medicine and raise funds to continue supporting patients.

The Solent Multiple Sclerosis Centre on Hewett Road in the North End took part in a National Centre-sponsored 'Move for Multiple Sclerosis' challenge - staff, members, caregivers and volunteers helped to get from Land's End to John O' groats contributed to the 100km "virtual journey".

Jane Winfield, 69, a Southsea resident and member of the Solent Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Centre, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2006.

"It's a difficult situation because it affects people differently and not everyone understands," she told The News.

"Because I'm in a wheelchair, they might think I'm a 'lazy girl', but they don't understand, I can't move one leg and I can't do all the things other people take for granted."

Jane has been receiving treatment since her diagnosis.

The charity-run website offers a number of different treatments and equipment, including a pressurized diving room, oxygen concentrators and physiotherapy rooms that can help members (who donate to use the service) manage their fatigue and breathing.Jane comes to the diving room once a week for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)."It gave me energy," she said."I could feel that when I came out, I had more energy and could do more things."Her husband Martin, 66, will take part in the cycling challenge."Anyone in Portsmouth with multiple sclerosis should come and see what this centre has to offer," he said.

If you look at the data, I think there must be a lot of MS people in this city who are not members. "Another member, Jan Allen, travels to the centre from Cranfield once a week.The 58-year-old said: "I have had multiple sclerosis for 41 years and have been here since last year."When I first came here, my illness relapsed and I couldn't walk, but now I can."The most important thing is that it has boosted my energy levels tremendously."The mother-of-three added: "People don't really understand me because people probably don't know I have multiple sclerosis.

"Watching me walk, sometimes people think I'm drunk.

"I do think people need to be more aware of what kind of environment we live in.

"The worst thing is that I don't know how it will affect me because it's so variable - I may not know if I'll be unable to move or too tired to do anything the next day."

Fatigue is one of the "most common and troublesome symptoms" of multiple sclerosis, according to the NHS.

It's often described as an "overwhelming feeling of exhaustion," meaning even the simplest of activities can be difficult to perform.

HBOT is used in the center to increase the amount of oxygen people are able to inhale, which in turn improves breathing and energy levels.

"Multiple sclerosis has a wide range of symptoms, and some people may need to be in a wheelchair all the time, while others can walk," said Ruth Jansen, an operations assistant at the centre.

"People's understanding of multiple sclerosis is very important because it can be an 'invisible' disease."

"Through our 'Get Moving for MS' challenge, we not only raised funds for the centre, but spread the word."

So far, with the joint efforts of all participants, they have completed the 100km goal and the £500 goal.

Centre manager Joe Jennings said: "It's nice to have different people involved and do as much as they want."