New Risk Factors Identified for Multiple Sclerosis

Posted on November 24, 2007
Filed Under Health, Science |

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that results in the body attacking the myelin sheath (the insulation that is around the nerve cells) that help propagate brain cell communication. There are essentially four types or clinical courses that patients with MS follow.

* Progressive-Relapsing
MS Experience: a steadily worsening disease from the onset but also have clear acute relapses (attacks or exacerbations), with or without recovery. In contrast to relapsing-remitting MS, the periods between relapses are characterized by continuing disease progression.
Frequency: Relatively rare. Approximately 5%.

Secondary-Progressive
MS Experience: an initial period of relapsing-remitting MS, followed by a steadily worsening disease course with or without occasional flare-ups, minor recoveries (remissions), or plateaus.
Frequency: 50% of people with relapsing-remitting MS developed this form of the disease within 10 years of their initial diagnosis, before introduction of the “disease-modifying” drugs. Long-term data are not yet available to demonstrate if this is significantly delayed by treatment.

* Primary-Progressive
MS Experience: a slow but nearly continuous worsening of their disease from the onset, with no distinct relapses or remissions. However, there are variations in rates of progression over time, occasional plateaus, and temporary minor improvements.
Frequency: Relatively rare. Approximately 10%.

* Relapsing-Remitting
MS Experience: specific defined relapses (also called attacks, or exacerbations). These are episodes of acute worsening of neurologic function. They are followed by partial or complete recovery periods (remissions) free of disease progression.
Frequency: Most common form of MS at time of initial diagnosis. Approximately 85%.

A genome wide association study (GWAS) of approximately 931 families identified genes encoding two cytokines (ligands-proteins that interact with a receptor) and receptors-interleukin-2 receptor alpha and interleukin-7 receptor alpha as important risk factors for MS. Interleukin-2 and its receptor have already been shown to be important for regulating our own immune system and variants or mutations in these genes have been implicated in other autoimmune diseases such as diabetes type I and Graves disease (hyperthyroidism).

This is an important find in linking these previously unidentified genes to the disease MS. Of great importance is determining how these genes are important in MS and if they are associated with a particular clinical course of MS.

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