Why Did I Get MS?

Here’s the frustrating truth: We simply don’t know much about what causes MS, says Jacqueline F. Rosenthal, M.D, a neurologist at the Andrew C. Carlos Multiple Sclerosis Institute in Atlanta, GA. “There have been a lot of different things associated with MS, but nothing that’s been a clear causative factor—and that’s the frustrating part for patients,” she says. But while the cause remains a mystery, researchers do know specific factors that are linked to a higher MS risk.

发展MS可能不仅涉及一个，而且涉及纽约市纽约兰松健康的多发性硬化综合保健中心的神经科学家Lauren Krupp，M.D。“这些因素可以分为两大类：遗传和环境，”她说。因素互相播放的方式可以提高一个人发展这种自身免疫病症的几率。让我们仔细看看这些个人因素。

遗传学之间存在不可否认的联系MS风险, says Dr. Krupp. Studies have identified 200 genetic variations in people with the disease. “For example, if an identical twin has MS, the likelihood of the other identical twin sibling having MS is 25 percent,” she says. Since the odds aren’t 100% though, it means more than genes is involved. “Having one of these genetic variations by itself usually isn’t enough—it’s being born with that variation, then being exposed to other environmental risk factors,” says Dr. Rosenthal.

Weird but true, if you had theEpstein-Barr virus (EBV)- 导致单核细胞增多症 - 您可以更容易发生开发MS。这不是说单声道causesKrupp博士说，MS，“但MS在患有传染性单声道的人中更常见。”“如果你看看有女士的孩子，这是一个罕见的群体，他们更有可能在与没有女士的孩子的早期接触EBV的证据。”出于尚未理解的原因，其他病毒和细菌也可能提高您的MS风险。

维生素D缺乏与许多条件相关联，从抑郁症到心脏病。该理论是，这种维生素在保持免疫系统正常运行方面发挥着关键作用。而现在，研究人员认为维生素D（或缺乏）在MS的发展中起着作用。“在诊断时，大多数人确实具有低维生素D水平，”罗森哈尔博士说。“并且有文献表明，如果您的维生素D在正常的较高范围内，您将处于开发MS的风险较低。”

“Childhood obesity is another risk factor for MS,” Dr. Krupp says. Multiple studies have found that obesity in kids and teens, especially girls, increases the likelihood of getting MS in the future. For example, a large 2019 study inJAMA Neurology发现，女MS的超重或肥胖的孩子和青少年比非超重儿童有两倍。科学家们还在努力了解相关性，因为并非所有携带额外磅的人都会开发MS。

根据疾病控制和预防的中心，吸烟对健康产生破坏性影响，吸烟对肺癌，心脏病，糖尿病以及更多的风险是秘密的。Rosenthal博士说，卷烟吸烟也会提高你获得MS的几率。国家MS社会表示，吸烟与具有更严重的MS和疾病的进展更快，所以如果您已被诊断出患有MS，而且您是吸烟者，则戒烟非常重要。

奇怪的声音，研究人员发现您的MS风险取决于您的位置。“与MS的环境有关的最大线索来自观察结果，即在赤道的世界的区域中，MS在世界的地区更常见，并且在赤道附近不太公共，”KRUPP说。根据国家多发性硬化症协会，这不是100％的明确与种族，遗传学和感染等种族，遗传学和感染等物品相关联。

While any of these factors may have played a role in raising your MS risk, there are plenty of things that aren’t risk factors but are still erroneously referenced in popular culture. For instance, MS is not related to environmental allergies, pets, artificial sweeteners, exposure to heavy metals, or your diet. “It’s not because of certain habits, or whether you ate or didn’t eat something,” says Dr. Krupp (who points out that饮食能够在帮助您管理MS症状方面发挥作用).

The key here is understanding the distinction between correlation and causation. Just because there is a connection between these variables and MS doesn’t mean it’s a cause-and-effect one. “The important thing is to recognize that there’s nothing you did to get MS,” Dr. Krupp says. “You can’t blame yourself for this.” Rather than picking apart your past, try to look to the future with hope: With betterMS treatmentsthan ever before, you能够learn to manage this condition.