The cause of multiple sclerosis is still open to debate, but overwhelmingly medical experts agree it’s an autoimmune disease. That means the body doesn’t distinguish between healthy cells and foreign invaders. So, in order to protect itself, the body’s own immune system kicks into overdrive. Just imagine an army that can’t tell the difference between allies and enemies — and you’ll get the picture.
In multiple sclerosis, when the immune system overreacts, it attacks and damages the myelin sheath (protective coating) wrapped around nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The result? Havoc reigns in other areas of the body. “MS can cause a wide range of problems from spasticity, imbalance and trembling, to visual difficulties, brain fog and extreme fatigue, among other symptoms,” explains Dr. Philip De Jager, director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. “Although the symptoms may be different from other autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, MS shares one thing in common with all of them — inflammation.”
[See: 10 Seemingly Innocent Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore.]
Genetics
De Jager has done research connecting genetic variables with multiple sclerosis. His team recently identified and mapped out all 233 of the genetic variations that relate to the onset of MS. “About half of those relating to the risk of getting multiple sclerosis also contribute to the risk of other autoimmune disease,” he says. “Even though it’s still an area of investigation, there’s no question MS is an autoimmune disease that also has genetic components.”
As an example of the genetic connection, De Jager points out there’s a greater risk for a child of an MS sufferer to develop the disease, even though it’s a small one. “For example, if a mother has MS, there’s about a 3 percent chance (or around 3 children out of 100) that her offspring will get MS. It’s a higher chance than the general population, but it still means that 97 percent of offspring with mothers who have MS will not develop the condition,” he says.
Viruses
Genetics are only one piece of the puzzle. There might be a viral link, too. “There’s some evidence that exposure to viruses, particularly Epstein Barr (the virus that causes mononucleosis), as well as retroviruses such as herpes, can account for persistent autoimmune activity down the road,” explains Dr. R. Erik Charlson, a neurologist and multiple sclerosis specialist at NYU Langone Health in NYC.
Charlson’s view is supported by several studies that examined the connection between MS and EBV. A review of the research was reported in 2015 in the journal BioMed Research International. It concluded there was a link between the risk for getting relapsing remitting MS and EBV. However, the researchers couldn’t make the same connection with primary progressive MS.
A more recent study published in a 2017 issue of Virology Journal supports the same association.
Studies also found that people with higher levels of the human herpes virus antibody had a higher risk of getting MS.
“Despite solid research pointing to a viral connection, medical experts are still left with a lot of questions,” Charlson says. “For instance, there’s research into an environmental connection.” Studies show a relationship between rates of MS and sun exposure. Danish scientists looked at 1,200 adults with MS and concluded that people who spent time in the sun every day as teenagers developed MS later than those who did not catch daily rays.
[See: 10 Lessons from Empowered Patients.]
Environment
The fact that the onset of MS is statistically later for those who live closer to the equator, as reported in 2016 in the Journal of Neurology and Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, adds support to the sunshine association. The research looked at data on 22,000 MS patients in 21 countries.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D also appears to play a role in the onset and progression of multiple sclerosis. Low levels of the vitamin are associated with an increased risk of developing the disease. In contrast, higher levels of vitamin D have been shown to be effective in helping MS patients reduce inflammation.
Vitamin D can be taken in supplement form or found in foods such as sardines, salmon and cod liver oil. We also get vitamin D from the sun’s rays.
Gut Health
Can there be a relationship between gut health and MS? It’s already been confirmed that an imbalance of healthy bacteria plays a role in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. But evidence is increasing that bacterial imbalance plays a role in inflammation and other autoimmune diseases such as MS.
Researchers discovered there are different kinds of bacteria in the guts of people who have MS than folks who don’t have the disease. Specifically, a 2014 study reported in the journal Neurology, and conducted by scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, showed that patients with MS have more archaea (a microbe that triggers inflammation) and less butyrcimonas (a microbe with anti-inflammatory properties) than people who don’t have MS.
[See: 5 Rare Diseases You’ve Never Heard of (Until Now).]
The link between gut bacteria and autoimmune attacks in MS could begin early in life. A 2016 University of British Columbia study, reported in the journal BioMed Central, examined gut bacteria and immune markers in 15 children with MS and nine children without the disease. The researchers found certain types of gut bacteria and specific immune markers in the children with MS, but not in the healthy kids.
While medical experts continue to search for the ultimate cause of MS, Charlson points out, “Treatments are focusing on the autoimmune part of the disease, and we’ve made big strides in this area. We can now treat a majority of our patients with medications that prevent over-active immune cells from leaving the blood, going to the brain, and progressing the disease.”
There’s no debating: This is good news.
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MS Shares Key Trait With Other Autoimmune Diseases: Inflammation originally appeared on usnews.com
