MS not an Autoimmune Disorder Article.

[GorgeousGeek]

*Article copy/paste below*

To me this makes SOOOOOOOO much sense. To me it explains how sometimes changing your diet can help MS symptoms. And also, I'm not sure of the statistics, but it seem like MS is becoming more common. I know its the most common neurological disorder but it kinda seems abnormally common these days. Like what was different previously in the world before MS was so common? *sigh* This baffles me. It was puzzling to me before my diagnosis and even more now. 0_o

MS may not be autoimmune disease
Published: Jan. 1, 2012 at 12:29 AM

Comments (0)EmailPrintListen NEW YORK, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Multiple sclerosis, long viewed as primarily an autoimmune disease, is not actually a disease of the immune system, a U.S. researcher says.

Dr. Angelique of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York suggests instead that MS is caused by faulty lipid metabolism -- in many ways more similar to coronary atherosclerosis -- hardening of the arteries -- than to other autoimmune diseases.

Considering MS as a metabolic disorder helps to explain many puzzling aspects of the disease, particularly why it strikes women more than men and why cases are on the rise worldwide, Corthals said.

Multiple sclerosis is mainly characterized by inflammation followed by scarring of tissue called myelin, which insulates nerve tissue in the brain and spinal cord.

Over time, this scarring can lead to profound neurological damage, but medical researchers have theorized that a runaway immune system is at fault, but no one has been able to fully explain what triggers the onset of the disease.

Corthals said the primary cause of MS can be traced to transcription factors in cell nuclei that control the uptake, breakdown, and release of lipids -- fats and similar compounds -- throughout the body. Disruption of these proteins, known as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, causes a toxic byproduct of "bad" low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to form plaque on the affected tissue. The accumulation of plaque in turn triggers an immune response, which ultimately leads to scarring.

Corthals' framework explains why MS is more prevalent in women.

"Men and women metabolize fats differently," Corthals said. "In men, problems are more likely to occur in vascular tissue, which is why atherosclerosis is more prevalent in men. But women metabolize fat differently in relation to their reproductive role."

The findings are published in The Quarterly Review of Biology.



Read more: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2012/01/01/MS-may-not-be-autoimmune-disease/UPI-25681325395754/#ixzz1iWAQ8irU

[debgen]

Thanks Shell! I had a lot of concerns after reading the article, but everything you just posted made sense to me!
Deb :)

[sllowe]

GG -

The presentations I've had the priveledge to sit in on all include the possibility of environmental factors, viral (EBV), vitamin D (more recent years) genetics(though small), demographics (well established stats on that), as well as autoimmune.

Problem is, they is no consistency from patient-to-patient in terms of cause. Though some commonalities are identified in studies.
It's why these studies are so very important. The more commonalities in disease process identified, the more they learn, which dictates the variety in the meds and the future of MS meds.

It also speaks to why some meds work for some MSers, but not all.
Like Sidesteps and Doublevision mention, this is a suggestion, a theory - which is good, but very much different than simply not autoimmune.

Remember (regardless of the source, i.e, viral, enviro, etc.) the immune system is comprimised at those points in time to allow that damage to occur within the CNS in the 1st place. The overactivity of immune systems attacking it's own tissue (with MS= myelin, brain and SC) is considered autoimmune. Another example is RA where the joints are attacked.

Hope this adds some clarity - not knocking the article, just wanted to add some more context.

-shell

[doublevision1]

It isn't known if MS is becoming more common or if it's just being accurately dx'ed more often.  The latter makes sense with advances in MRI in the past 20 years or so.  Also, given it is rarely a fatal disease, people are usually dx'ed relatively young and of course live with it the rest of their lives, so the number of cases obviously is continuously growing.

It's also theorized that prior to the advent of DMDs, also in the past 20 years, many drs who suspected MS didn't necessarily want to tell their patient, since medically there was not much they could do for them, progression was deemed inevitable, and they wanted to protecct the patient from hopelessness/depression of the dx.  I don't know if this actually occurred much though.

I'd seen this article as well but at this point I don't put a lot of stock in it.  Firstly, I'm not sure how Dr. Corthal's broad credentials as a biomedical and forensic anthropologist qualify her in this specific field ("10+ years scientific research and teaching experience in the field of forensic anthropology, wildlife forensic, wildlife conservation, phylogenetics and evolutionary biology, Genetic resources and epidemiology")
Here's her resume:

http://www.aspcorthals.net/Site/Resume.html

Yes she has done some work in autoimmune diseases but is not specialized in this field.

Note that the article above merely says Dr. Corthal 'suggests' this is a  theory, so in light of that, it is a pretty bold statement to say:  "This new framework makes a cure for MS closer than ever." (her words)

I agree with Sidesteps, I think she is laying the groundwork for a research grant.

[GorgeousGeek]

I guess thats why they were compaing MS to artherosclerosis. Which is (i'm assuming) a know metabolic issue. Where arteries are being targeted. An specifically coronary arteries.

I'm personally not sure how artherosclerosis effects other systems.
I would like to read the study entirely though. I have a feed of MS articles and this was the 3rd time I saw an article address this.

Hmph....who knows.

[Sidesteps]

This article doesn't really make sense to me...

"Corthals said the primary cause of MS can be traced to transcription factors in cell nuclei that control the uptake, breakdown, and release of lipids -- fats and similar compounds -- throughout the body. Disruption of these proteins, known as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, causes a toxic byproduct of "bad" low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to form plaque on the affected tissue. The accumulation of plaque in turn triggers an immune response, which ultimately leads to scarring."


The above is what I don't understand or doesn't make sense.

In my uneducated mind, if this was a metabolic disease that builds up and "opens the door" to an immune reaction, based on what he says above, then I think we would see more systematic progression outside of the brain...but we don't we see one specific area attacked unless we have over-lapping diseases that attack the other organs...

Truthfully? I don't mean to sound like a skeptic but this sounds like a doctor who needs a Grant. It also could be this article was written very poorly and some of the data wasn't included. lol ~