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Asked by da celeb to Caroline, Derrick, Mark, Marta, Sammy on 11 Jul 2017.
Question: is mutiple sclerosis in twins be heriditary
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Marta Maia answered on 11 Jul 2017:
The cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown. It’s considered an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues. In the case of multiple sclerosis, this immune system malfunction destroys myelin (the fatty substance that coats and protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord). Myelin can be compared to the insulation coating on electrical wires. When the protective myelin is damaged and nerve fiber is exposed, the messages that travel along that nerve may be slowed or blocked. The nerve may also become damaged itself. It isn’t clear why multiple sclerosis develops in some people and not others. A combination of genetics and environmental factors appears to be responsible.
In 2010, researchers investigated the genomes of several identical twin pairs, in which one twin had developed multiple sclerosis (MS) while the other did not. The researchers were searching for any genetic differences that could explain the twins’ different fates. There are sometimes subtle genetic differences between identical (monozygotic) twins (monozygotic twins are derived from the fertilization of a single egg in their mother’s womb.) The researchers wondered if those differences might explain the discordance of mulitple sclerosis in some monozygotic twins, but they were unable to find a genetic explanation.
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Caroline Ogwang answered on 13 Jul 2017:
While MS(multiple sclersosis) is not hereditary according to most past studies, having a first-degree relative such as a parent or sibling with MS does significantly increase an individual’s risk of developing the disease. Studies have shown that there is a higher prevalence of certain genes in populations with higher rates of MS. Common genetic factors have also been found in some families where there is more than one person with MS. Some researchers theorize that MS develops because a person is born with a genetic predisposition to react to some environmental agent that, upon exposure, triggers an immune-mediated response.
Identical twins, who are descended from the same egg, are six times more likely to develop MS than non-identical twins, who come from two different eggs.
There is only one recent study found that the disease can be directly inherited through a single gene mutation. More research needs to be done on this.
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