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Multiple Sclerosis
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What causes MS?
Multiple Sclerosis is regarded as an autoimmune disease, which means that the immune system cannot distinguish its own cells from foreign cells and therefore attacks and destroys its own tissues.
In people with Multiple Sclerosis, the myelin sheath, which insulates the nervous fibres, becomes the target of an attack orchestrated by white blood cells in the body.
Other factors that may contribute to the onset of MS include genetic, viral and environmental factors.
The genetic factor
MS is not a hereditary disease, in the sense that parents pass on the illness through their genes. However, there may be a hereditary receptivity to MS, with the disease often occurring in members of the same family. Evidence suggests that this occurs more frequently than can be put down to mere coincidence.1
Although this indicates a genetic linkage, it is worth remembering that most family members share a similar environment and lifestyle, and this may also contribute to the causes of the disease. That said, the risk of children and brothers and sisters of someone with MS developing the disease is still very low, with a 96 - 98% probability that a direct relation will not be affected by MS.
Many people with MS are naturally concerned about the chances of the disease being experienced by other family members and children. Unfortunately genetic counselling and genetic screening are difficult to provide due to the lack of definitive knowledge regarding the genetic control of the disease. However, if you have MS, it is important to be aware that the risk for first-degree relatives of people with MS is greater than the risk to second-degree relatives. The risk of family members of an MS sufferer developing has been studied and is reportedly:2
- 4.4% for a sister
- 3.2% for a brother
- 2.1% for a parent
- 1.8% for a child if both parents have MS this risk increases to approximately 20%.
The environmental factor
It is a widely held belief that environmental factors may also play a role in the onset of Multiple Sclerosis. The medical community recognises that MS is more common in the populations of countries situated further away from the equator. In Canada and northern European countries (particularly Scandinavia and Scotland, for example), there is a high incidence of MS, which may reflect a specific susceptibility in those populations.
What is likely is that MS develops as a result of both genetic and environmental factors. A person born with a genetic susceptibility, who is also exposed to an unknown environmental factor, is at risk of triggering an autoimmune system response such as MS.immune system to attack its own cells. However, no virus has been conclusively proven to be linked to the development of Multiple Sclerosis.
The viral factor
Another theory on the cause of MS, is that someone who is already genetically susceptible to the disease might contract a virus, which triggers the body's immune system to attack its own cells. However, no virus has been conclusively proven to be linked to the development of Multiple Sclerosis.
The infectious factor
Although MS is classified as a chronic disease, this does not mean it is an infectious (contagious) disease: it cannot be transmitted from someone with MS to another person. MS is an autoimmune illness that affects the nerves in the central nervous system.
References:
1. Ebers and Sadovnick, 1994; The role of genetic factors in Multiple Sclerosis susceptibility. J Neuroimmunol 1994; 54: 1-17., Robertson et al., 1996, Age-adjusted recurrence risks for relatives of patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Brain 1996; 119: 449-55.
2. Robertson et al., 1996, Age-adjusted recurrence risks for relatives of patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Brain 1996; 119: 449-55.