The etiology of Multiple Sclerosis is thought to be due to a number of things. The environment, genetics, or a virus could all contribute to the etiology of MS. Countries located further from the equator tend to have a higher percentage of MS cases. This is thought to have something to do with lower levels of sunlight. The sun is an excellent source of vitamin D Studies have shown higher doses of vitamin D to reduce both the risk of MS in test subjects as well as lessen the severity of symptoms in MS patients. Another study found an MS ‘epidemic’ to be present after WWII off the coast of Denmark. The high numbers of Multiple Sclerosis caused researchers to feel there was an environmental factor to blame in this area.
There’s no direct link proving MS will definitely be passed on from one generation to the next, but researches do believe the risk of developing MS is greater in people who have a relative with MS. For example, the siblings of a person with MS have a 2 to 5 percent risk of also having the disease.
Some viruses are also thought to cause Multiple Sclerosis, but this has yet to be proven. Mono, chicken pox, and the hepatitis vaccine are possibilities researchers are considering in the connection between viruses and the cause of MS. Researchers have also been leaning towards the possibility that hormones have to do with the presence of MS. This is mostly due to the fact that twice as many women are diagnosed with MS than men.
There are Four Categories of MS
Multiple Sclerosis can be divided up into 4 categories, RRMS, PPMS, SPMS, and PRMS. Relapsing-remitting MS is generally the type people are initially diagnosed with. About 85 percent of MS cases are RRMS. Symptoms tend to appear, lessen, and then reappear over and over again. Primary-progressive MS is more common in men than women and characterized by a slow decline in mobility and function without relief of remission.
Secondary-progressive MS starts off as RRMS. This type of MS still continues to appear in cycles like RRMS, but the disability doesn’t fade during the relapse. Each attack is replaced by a progression of disability instead. Progressive-relapsing MS is very rare and sometimes PPMS, SPMS, and PRMS are combined into a single category known as Chronic Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.
The exact etiology of Multiple Sclerosis is still debated by researchers. Once the etiology of MS has been figured out, preventing it might be an option in the future.
