Signs of MS Show Up in Blood Years Before Symptoms Appear

[Marco]

Signs of Multiple Sclerosis Show Up in Blood Years Before Symptoms Appear

In a discovery that could hasten treatment for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), UC San Francisco scientists have discovered a harbinger in the blood of some people who later went on to develop the disease.

In about 1 in 10 cases of MS, the body begins producing a distinctive set of antibodies against its own proteins years before symptoms emerge. These autoantibodies appear to bind to both human cells and common pathogens, possibly explaining the immune attacks on the brain and spinal cord that are the hallmark of MS.

The findings were published in Nature Medicine on April 19.

MS can lead to a devastating loss of motor control, although new treatments can slow the progress of the disease and, for example, preserve a patient’s ability to walk. The scientists hope the autoantibodies they have discovered will one day be detected with a simple blood test, giving patients a head start on receiving treatment.

“Over the last few decades, there’s been a move in the field to treat MS earlier and more aggressively with newer, more potent therapies,” said UCSF neurologist Michael Wilson, MD, a senior author of the paper. “A diagnostic result like this makes such early intervention more likely, giving patients hope for a better life.”

Full story:
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2024/04/42...-appear

[Jules A]

I wonder if they will start testing family members of those with MS? It would probably be low yield but could be life changing for someone with MS to be able to consider starting treatment prior to symptoms and loss of function.

I'm hearing radio ads about a test for type 1 diabetes now so maybe MS will follow:

"If you are a man with type 1 diabetes, the odds of your child developing diabetes are 1 in 17. If you are a woman with type 1 diabetes and your child was born before you were 25, your child's risk is 1 in 25; if your child was born after you turned 25, your child's risk is1 in 100.
Your child's risk is doubled if you developed diabetes before age 11. If both you and your partner have type 1 diabetes, the risk is between 1 in 10 and 1 in 4.

There is an exception to these numbers: about one in every seven people with type 1 diabetes has a condition called type 2 polyglandular autoimmune syndrome. In addition to having diabetes, these people also have thyroid disease and a poorly working adrenal gland—some also have other immune system disorders. If you have this syndrome, your child's risk of getting the syndrome and developing type 1 diabetes, is one in two.

Researchers are learning how to predict a person's odds of getting diabetes. For example, most white people with type 1 diabetes have genes called HLA-DR3 or HLA-DR4, which are linked to autoimmune disease. If you and your child are white and share these genes, your child's risk is higher. Suspect genes in other ethnic groups are less well-studied, however, scientists believe the HLA-DR7 gene may put African Americans at risk, and the HLA-DR9 gene may put Japanese people at risk.

An antibodies test can be done for children who have siblings with type 1 diabetes."

https://diabetes.org/about-diabetes/...20man,risk%20i s%201%20in%20100.