What could be a trigger factor of multiple sclerosis?

Question

There are a few theories about what could trigger multiple sclerosis:
Vitamin D deficiency, some latent virus in the body, or a prion.
What is your opinion?

Answer 1

Many investigators believe MS to be an autoimmune disease -- one in which the body, through its immune system, launches a defensive attack against its own tissues. In the case of MS, it is the nerve-insulating myelin that comes under assault. Such assaults may be linked to an unknown environmental trigger, perhaps a virus.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I have had MS for 21 years now. The disease is believed to be caused by a childhood virus that reactivates later causing the body to turn on itself. I had a virus when I was 3 that I called "cranky knees." I lost feeling in my legs and they were as limp as spaghetti. It resolved itself before a for sure diagnosis could be made.

When I developed MS, I experienced many of the same symptoms as that childhood virus. I have had a number of doctors tell me that that is likely the origin of my MS.

MS is also affected by environmental factors. For example, those who live the northern part of the country for their first 15 years have a greater chance of developing MS that those who lived in other parts of the country for their first 15 years of life. Why 15 and not some other number? I don't think anyone has an answer for that.

Stress can be a factor that triggers MS. I was going through an extremely stressful time at work when the MS began. That could have something to do with it.

So much about MS is a matter of speculation. However, tremendous progress is being made in the research on MS.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

I believe that there is more than ONE MS. Similar neurological disorders with different causes are all thrown in the same pot and called MS. I have had herpes simplex all my life and a cold sore always followed by a mild MS symptom. I don't think I have an overactive immune system like my neurologist wants me to believe. The Epstein Barr (?) virus always comes up in discussion as well. Some people think it is an environment factor.
According to Dr. Swank it has a lot to do with nutrition. The more animal derived saturated fat you eat the higher your chances of getting MS if you are predisposed. If you eat a lot of fish and no red meat and only non fat dairy products the higher your chances to avoid MS if you are predisposed.

Treatment wise there is just one thing! LDN!

The best treatment for MS is LDN, hands down. It is the only medication that can stop MS in its tracks! No other medication can do that. It is very cheap, has almost no side effects, it is easy to take since it comes in a capsule and although it does not cure MS it prevents further progression. Please check it out! Tens of thousands of people are taking it worldwide and the number is growing every day!

Answer 6

I agree with one of the other posters who questioned a definitive link to cooler climates. I also live in a tropical climate and it still found me.

I did, however, just like another poster contract a virus as a child. In my case my doctors blamed it for the formation of hydrocephalus. In my early thirties, the hydrocephalus which had been inactive for over twenty years suddenly flared up after a bout with a similar nasty virus. Two months after surgery for the first problem, ms symptoms began showing up.

I've always wondered if the ms was triggered by either the trauma of the brain surgery and hydrocephalus or by the virus or a combination of both.

I have a friend with ms whose symptoms began appearing within months of surgery to repair trauma to his back. And there are countless others in all climate zones whose onset comes as during the post partum period.

It seems like there is a common thread somewhere and I am certain that someday it will be found. Good chance the trigger for all of us is going to end being somehow similar but still different in every case. Just like the disease.

Answer 7

I have MS,from what I understand....enviroment...If you were born or lived in a cold climate, that factors in....It could be viral...or it could be stress.I was diagnosed in November of last year.I have just started taking Copaxone(starting on my second week).MS hit me like a ton of bricks!I was healthy and active before all this started.I started feeling a little tired,having hot flashes and dizzy spells.I got a creek in my neck that wouldn't go away.They found some lesions and sent me to a neurologist.It affects the entire family.At one point my 14 year old daughter would have to take me to the bathroom and clean me up.I have had to wear diapers at one point.I had to use a wheel chair for awhile.I had to quit my job,I just didn't have the strength to work a full day.Okay...I might have went into to much detail.If you have any questions feel free to contact me.Best Wishes!♥

Answer 8

the theory about growning up in a cold climate I don't buy. I was raised in a tropical climate and I have MS. I think it is viral. What kind of virus I of course don't know, but it is the only thing that makes sense to me. Also I think it could be cause by a gene that just goes haywire in alot of people. Somewhere between the two if not both.

Answer 9

I come from a family of nine and I'm the only one with MS. There are no relatives that I know who have MS. It's not hereditary but I've been told that if you have a sibling with it, you have a better chance of getting it also. That's not the case in my family though.

Answer 10

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