Is MS hereditary?

[mariemomof4]

My husband has been having some weird things going on and his MRI came back a little abnormal and one of the possible diagnosis was MS.  My husbands fathers twin brother has MS and I was wondering if it was a hereditary illness.  Thanks

[mom9335]

MS is often very difficult to diagnose.  An MRI which is a little abnormal is very vague.  There are specific synptoms and tests to look for in MS.  You might want to read the Health Pages on this site to help you understand MS and its diagnosis as well as symptoms.

MS is believed to have a genetic component, but no specific genes have been found to directly cause inheritance of MS.  There is also a belief that there is an environmental trigger involved.  Some families tend to have more than one person with MS, but not all.  They just don't have the answer yet.

All this information means that you should be sure to have a good doctor, neurologist preferably, to help your husband reach a medicallly sound conclusion.  

As stated often on this site, most of us are not doctors, just people with lots of info about MS.  Stay calm and don't jump to the conclusion that it is MS.  There are hundreds of MS mimics.  It is a long road from a slightly abnormal MRI, whatever that means, to a diagnosis of MS.  Hopefully, it will not be MS.

[cdvzfr]

I do not think it has been proven to be hereditary, but I think that if it it is in your family blood line the chances for him having it are higher.  I could be wrong, I am not a doctor.  There are a alot of really great, knowledgable people on this site that will help you with this question.
Rae