Family Members With MS

[Deb61]

How many of you (limbo or diagnosed) have close family members (sibling, parent, aunt, uncle, or grandparent) with MS?  My neuro told me when I was diagnosed it was just about as common as being struck by lightning.

Diagnosed 2008
Sister diagnosed 2006

[starryeyes1]

My dad has had MS for about 30 yrs. I was diagnosed in 2009. I agree with Quix and Ess. Everything I have researched about MS says if you don't have a family member with MS, your chances are 1 in 750.
Sibling or parent 1 in 50, identical twin has a 1 in 3 chance.

I believe that genetically it is connected. Of course, they say that consuming dairy proucts and animal fats combined with whether or not a person had certain viral infections such as mono, rubella, roseolla,measles. herpes also increases the chances.

They have connected the geography to MS as well. Countries such as Northern Europe, North America, New Zealand and Australia have higher incidence of MS than countries in the tropics.

Its interesting. I unfortunately "qualified" under all of these factors. My family history, I had mono and roseolla, drink plenty of milk and live in the Pacific Northwest.

Oh well...(sigh)
Kristi

[JemmAus]

No one except me (that I know of at this point in time) has MS.

[Deb61]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I think my neuro must have been using hyperbole in regards to the lightning comparison.  He's actually a very good doctor and pretty well-informed, so hyperbole was probably being used in response to my mother's emotional question having the second child with an MS diagnosis.  

[Heather3418]

I was diagnosed with MS 15 years ago.  My 35 year old daughter was diagnosed with MS within the last year.

Lord how I pray that they hurry and find out what causes MS.  There has to be a gentic factor involved.  My daughter has just been told that she possibly may have Primary Progressive MS, I do not have true relapses anymore. I remain pretty stable 15 years after diagnosis. She has never come out of her first relapse.  I just ache for her, as her mother.

I cry for my daughter, that she has to endure this kind of course.  I am so afraid for her and would give my life to take this from her.

Thanks for the poll.  It's enlightening.

Heather

[poker247]

While I was in limbo-land my sister got diagnosed....then after 6 years of frustration I was diagnosed March 2009. Since then my cousin has been diagnosed as well.

3 people from the same family yet depending on the article you read they say it is NOT hereditary ....HHHHhmmmmmm

[essdipity]

It seems pretty clear that there is a genetic component to MS, meaning that genetics can be one factor. But that's certainly far from the only one. If it were, both identical twins or neither would have it, for instance. Although the risk would be high, in actuality it is far from 100%.

And what about all of us who have no MS in our families, but we do have it? Researchers are slowly slowly teasing out risk factors. It seems a perfect storm is needed, but no one knows for sure what that consists of.

ess