How Do You Get Ms?
How Do You Get MS?
If you have a friend or family member with multiple sclerosis (MS), you may be wondering how do you get MS. MS is an autoimmune disease that attacks healthy tissue in the spinal cord and brain. It causes vision problems, loss of balance, lack of muscle control and loss of sensation. Approximately 400,000 Americans suffer from MS, making it the most common cause of neurological disability. MS affects three times as many women than men and is common in the teen years up until age 50. Most people develop MS in their 20s and 30s. It is unusual in the early childhood years and the risk decreases after age 50.
How do you get MS? Doctors are unsure of the exact cause
It is believed that genetics or environmental factors may be the cause. Even a certain virus may cause MS.How do you get MS from genetics? Scientists believe that multiple genes may be responsible for someone developing MS. It is known that MS is inherited, with family members of MS patients at a 2-5 percent increased risk of developing the disease.
There is a theory that some people have a genetic disposition to MS, which develops upon reaction to a certain environmental factor. This, in turns, creates an autoimmune response in the body that attacks the brain and spinal cord. Scientists are in the process of creating innovative new techniques to identify the genes so they can better figure out how do you get MS.
How do you get MS from environmental factors?
It has been proven that certain ethnic groups have a higher rate of developing MS. MS is very common in Northern Europe, Scotland and Scandinavia. In the United States, whites are more likely than other ethnic groups to develop the disease. Because MS is more prevalent in certain countries, if you move from a high-risk country to a low-risk country, your risk will lower if you move before puberty. Because of this, scientists are trying to determine a link between environmental factors and puberty.
It is also believed that MS is related to climate and temperature. The further you are from the equator, the more likely you are to develop MS. This is the same for both hemispheres. How do you get MS from stress? It cannot be proven that stress is a factor. Studies have been conducted, but results have been inconclusive. How do you get MS from an epidemic? It is thought that environmental factors can contribute to epidemics of MS. Such a case occurred shortly after World War II and affected a group of people living off the Denmark coast.
How do you get MS from a virus?
It is thought that some viruses cause MS. These possible viruses include varicella zoster, hepatitis vaccine and mononucleosis. However, there is no real reason to worry. This theory about viruses causing MS cannot be proven. Not one of these viruses can be considered a trigger. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about MS being contagious or infectious. It is not transferrable by blood or other bodily fluids. You can’t catch it from touching objects or people who have the disease.
How do you get MS from hormones? Scientists are now suggesting that hormones may play a major role in determining how do you get MS. Because women are two or three times more likely to develop MS, scientists believe that female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone may be factors.It is believed that these hormones suppress the immune system, causing the body to turn on itself.
Because these hormones are very high during pregnancy, this may explain why pregnant women with MS do not report many symptoms. It is believed that the testosterone in males acts as an immune response suppressor and may account for the fact that women with MS outnumber men.
There are four main type of MS
How do you get MS that is progressive-relapsing?This type of MS is rare and progresses quickly. Relapses get worse, with some patients briefly recovering before experiencing another relapse. It is unknown what causes it.
How do you get MS that is relapsing-remitting? This type of MS is the most common and is characterized by attacks followed by remissions. The disease does not ever progress. Again, the exact cause is unknown. There are many theories.
How do you get MS that is primary-progressive?This type of MS is experienced by a small percentage of patients. It is characterized by a slow progression free of attacks and remissions. This type of MS may stay the same for a while or even improve temporarily. The cause is unknown.
How do you get MS that is secondary-progressive? This type of MS starts as progressing-relapsing MS and then progresses quicker than expected. The patient may experience attacks and periods of remission and recovery.
How do you get MS that is diagnosed as something else?
It is possible that some people have many symptoms of MS, but do not quite meet the standards for diagnosis. Instead, doctors diagnose these patients with clinically isolated syndrome, or CID. In this disease, patients have attacks, but their central nervous system has only one lesion instead of multiple ones. Some people with CID go on to develop MS, but that is not always the case. Scientists are still trying to determine the link between MS and CID.
There are also some diseases that are considered to be variant forms of MS. This is known as idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating disease (IIDD). This term encompasses several diseases, including Schilder’s diffuse sclerosis, Devic’s disease, Balo concentric sclerosis and Marburg MS. It is still unknown if these are forms of MS or separate diseases altogether.
Because it is unknown exactly how do you get MS, it can be hard to prevent it. Genetics and hormones appear to be the main causes, and these are causes that we cannot control. They occur in our bodies naturally. However, it is believed that certain foods, such as green tea, caffeine and milk, hold the key to a lowered risk of MS. Now you know how do you get MS.
