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    #1

    Genetics

    So I'm adopted. I have MS. But back when I was in limbo land and we didn't know what the problem was doctors were wanting a medical history so I scoured the internet and found my birth parents.

    I had my adoptive mother contact them to ask for any history of medical problems they might be willing to share. I wasn't trying to intrude on their lives so I made no personal contact.

    That was all long time ago, but it turns out I have 3 sisters and a brother and my youngest sister did want to get to know me.

    Flash forward and just yesterday we met up on facebook and had a chat. Which was of course a deeply moving experience for me. But the reason why I post this here is that when I asked about her job she said she was currently out on disability leave for lupus.

    I was born and given up for adoption and raised in California. Years later a sister was born and raised in Florida. But I grow up and develop MS and she grows up and develops lupus.

    It's purely anecdotal evidence of course but I still thought it was interesting that we would have no contact all our lives and be raised on opposite coasts, but both end up developing incurable autoimmune diseases.
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    #2
    It's really not surprising. Autoimmune disease runs in families, not necessarily the same one for everyone, but AI in general. Plus, it's not uncommon to have more than one. Having one makes you more likely to have another. Here's some good reading for AI:
    https://www.aarda.org/q_and_a.php

    In 2011, it was discovered that genes linked to MS were also connected to other AI diseases: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2...clerosis-genes

    It seems there may be genes that makes us susceptible to an auto-immune response, with various mutations or environmental factors "flipping the switch" for a particular one. It would explain families who have clusters of MS or clusters of AI, like mine and my husband's.

    For example, RA and diabetes runs rampant on my father's side while there's diabetes on my mother's. There's a cousin with Lupus. I currently am the only one with MS, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone followed me. I don't have diabetes, but I do have pre-diabetes.

    My husband's family is riddled with psoriasis for 3 generations, including him, a few aunts and a grandparent. His sister has Crohns.

    It's food for thought, for sure.

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      #3
      Ah the genes....

      I agree, there definitely must be some part of autoimmune diseases that are genetic. My father has Addison's Disease. One of his sisters has MS, and another of his sisters has rheumatoid arthritis. All autoimmune. I have MS and one of my sisters has some kind of an autoimmune disease that caused large hives for a while.

      Genetics must account for some part of it all, but who knows what else causes MS?

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        #4
        My sister had genetic testing done. She scored high for about 10 autoimmune diseases, including MS and RA. I think it should come as no surprise. I have heard people speak of autoimmune disease like cancer - you can get cancer of any individual part of your body. We say Lung Cancer and Bowel Cancer because we distinguish that it's one disease striking a different part. Consider that RA strikes joints, Lupus strikes organs, some other kinds of Arthritis only the spine.

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          #5
          I have MS, one of my 3 sisters has it as well and we have a niece (another sisters daughter) that was dx with MS last fall. My dad had a bone marrow cancer before he died that was autoimmune and our family is loaded with Asthma and allergies of various types. We sure do seem to have a tendency for autoimmune issues. Be well.

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            #6
            Yes there is an increased likelihood that someone with MS will have family members with it also.

            Unfortunately, imo, this information is often downplayed, in the past by physicians and now from what I read here quite often by people with MS when deciding to reproduce.
            He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
            Anonymous

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              #7
              I think there is somewhat of a genetic component, but is triggered environmentally. My grandfather had MS and my 1st Cousin has Lupus.

              I don't know...if I did, I would certainly share the secret to the World for free.
              Katie
              "Yep, I have MS, and it does have Me!"
              "My MS is a Journey for One."
              Dx: 1999 DMDS: Avonex, Copaxone, Rebif, currently on Tysabri

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                #8
                There is definitely some connection between genetics and AI diseases, but what good does this knowlege serve if the medical community has no cures for the diseases ? My aunt had Lupus and my first cousin has MG. What good does that knowledge do for me ? All that I can say is ' Come on medical establishment... discover a cure for us!

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