Understanding MS

These nerve cells are linked by fibres called axons. Electrical signals send information between the nerve cells along the axons. Axons are protected by myelin, a substance that is wrapped around the nerve fibres that helps signals pass at high speeds. In MS, immune cells begin a process that leads to the attack of and damage to the myelin. Damage to the axons may also occur, and can cause a disruption in the nerve signal. The damage caused by MS creates lesions, or scars, on your brain and/or spinal cord that may be seen with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These areas of scarring, or “sclerosis,” are where myelin has been lost. So, MS actually means “many scars.” Talk to your doctor about the results of your MRI and when you should have your next MRI.

Genetics:
The precise cause of MS is unknown; however, evidence suggests that MS has at least a partial hereditary basis. Approximately 20% of patients with MS have ≥1 affected relative. The lifetime risk of developing MS increases with the degree of genetic sharing.

For first degree relatives of a person with MS, such as children, siblings or nonidentical twins, the risk rises to approximately 2.55% - with the risk being potentially higher in families that have several family members with the disease. The identical twin of someone with MS (who shares all the same genes) has a 25% chance of developing the disease. If genes were solely responsible for determining who gets MS, an identical twin of someone with MS would have a 100% chance of developing the disease. The fact that the risk is only one in four demonstrates that other factors, including geography, ethnicity and the elusive infectious trigger, are likely involved as well.