Is MS hereditary? - Multiple Sclerosis Message Board

QcityDaughter · 06-08-2002, 09:43 AM

hello. i am 14 and my mom had been diagnosed with MS and i was just wondering if it was hereditary? i mean should i go to the doctor and get checked to see if i have it too? i would really like anyone's input. thanks
------Qcity

mlgable · 06-15-2002, 09:00 PM

To the best of my knowledge these days MS is not hereditary. To find out more about it do a search on the web and read up on it so you know what it going on and what to expect with your mother. She will definately need you to be there for her and you feel so much better if you have some idea of what is going on. Good Luck.

Nygabnet · 06-17-2002, 10:45 AM

Hello:

Actually MS is not hereditary, however you, like in most chronic illnesses are predisposed. You have better odds of getting the disease if a close family member has it. I worry about my daughter inheriting MS, however she is 28 and still thankfully fine. I am the first person in my family to have multiple sclerosis and I am, 30 something years later quite fine. True I have a few symptoms, but I will live with them.

Don't worry yourself unnecessarily as you will stress yourself out and put yourself in quandary that you do not need. Relax and enjoy your teen years as they are definitely the best years of your life!

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone
amateur built the ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.
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³´`*:»§<<Laura K.*»§«:*´`³
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"If you feel down, just consider that the sun sinks
every night, only to rise again in the morning."
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••••••••••Laura K.*••••••••
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bmwarner · 07-01-2002, 09:25 AM

MS is not hereditary but is considered to have "familial tendencies" which means if someone in your family has it, your are at greater risk than someone who does not have a family member with MS. For example, I have MS, my mom has MS, and her father had MS. My neurologist suggested that I have a gentics screening run but I have not done so yet. Also, women are more likely to show symptoms during child bearing years. I was diagnosed 6 months after I gave birth but started having symptoms 9 weeks after the baby was born. I now take Copaxone injections everday and have not had one symptom since!!

[This message has been edited by bmwarner (edited 07-01-2002).]

F-Man · 07-01-2002, 11:02 AM

from the website of the national MS society...

The genes a person inherits help determine whether that person is at increased risk for developing MS. While there is evidence from studies that this genetic component exists, it appears to be only one factor among several. Most likely an individual’s genetic blueprint ultimately determines if that individual will be susceptible to a triggering factor, which in turn initiates the autoimmune process that leads to the development of MS.

What Population Studies Show
Epidemiologic surveys have determined that an individual's risk of developing MS increases several-fold if a close family member has MS. But the risk is still relatively low. While the average person in the United States has about 1 chance in 1,000 of developing MS, close relatives of people with MS, such as children or siblings, have a 1 in 100 to 1 in 50 chance of developing MS. The identical twin of a person with MS has a 1 in 3 chance of developing the disease.

The fact that identical twins of people with MS¾who share all the same genes¾don’t always get MS and that more than 80% of people with MS do not have a first-degree relative with MS, show that genes are not the only factors involved and that MS is not directly inherited