The society for MS Scotland runs has a wonderful website with tons of MS facts, resources, and useful info for MS patients and caregivers. This resource for Multiple Sclerosis Scotland residents can access has links to other areas of interest for people interested in finding out more about MS, and not solely for MS patients. Due to the fact that Scotland has the highest number of incidences of MS per 100,000 people, it’s beneficial for the country to have a site such as this. Researchers believe the high number of cases of MS is due to a series of factors, such as a vitamin D deficiency, genetics, and viruses.
One study of Scotland’s incidences of MS involved examining medical records which spanned a 12-year period. The records were checked for connections between MS and the location of the patient, whether or not the person was a smoker, and any additional links that might be present. There was a correlation between MS patients and the latitude of Scotland they lived in, but no relationship was found between smoking and the development of MS. Of course the fact that more women were diagnosed with MS came as no surprise, since Multiple Sclerosis is a disease women are at a higher risk of developing. Researchers believe this could be due to certain female hormones.
Reports on the connection between vitamin D deficiency and this autoimmune disease explain how high doses of vitamin D could reduce the risk of developing MS in individuals, especially those who live in climates that receive less direct sunlight during the year.
Additional Risk Factors behind Multiple Sclerosis
A link between diet and MS has been the subject of numerous studies over the years. The results tend to be very similar in each investigation made; a diet low in fat and high in omega-3 oils seems to be the best for an individual with MS. Diets high in fat have been shown to cause the immune system to overreact and demyelination of nerve cells occurs more often, thus the need for a low-fat diet in the case of MS being present. Anything to reduce the cause of flare-ups is desired.
Certain genes have also been shown to be connected to the development of MS, yet this disease isn’t considered to be hereditary. The MS Scotland website funds research on the genetic connection to MS, as well as other projects aimed at finding a cure for this disease. The Multiple Sclerosis Scotland research will hopefully bring about more useful information for the MS community.
