Are You in the High Risk Category for Developing MS?
Early detection is very important for any disease diagnosis. With Multiple Sclerosis, it gives you the opportunity to start a treatment plan early that may help with slowing the progression of the disease.
Symptoms of MS vary widely from person to person and can closely mimic other disease symptoms. Lesions don’t always appear on MRIs in the early stages of the disease, which can also complicate the diagnosis. Being aware of the potential risk factors and if you fall into the high-risk category — for any disease — is crucial.
Below are the top potential risk factors for developing MS, taken from the National MS Society’s website:
- Age: MS is more likely to appear between the ages of 20 to 50 years old, but can occur at any age.
- Gender: Women are more likely to develop MS than men; 4:1 is the ratio listed.
- Ethnicity: MS seems to be more prominent in the white Northern European ethnic group.
- Environment: Those living closer to the Earth’s poles have a higher risk than those located near the equator. The amount of sun a person receives seems to be the difference. Vitamin D from the sun aids in immune repair.
- Smoking: Smoking greatly increases the risk of MS and can cause more rapid MS progression.
- Viruses: Viruses that occur in childhood can be a factor in MS, such as mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr virus).
- Genetics: Even though MS is not considered hereditary, if you have a parent or sibling with MS your risk of developing MS is approximately 5%.
Looking at my history and the risk factors listed above, I realize that I was in the high-risk category to develop MS all along and didn’t even know it.
When I was diagnosed in 2010, I was a 53-year-old white female who had lived her whole life in the Pacific Northwest, and when I was 14 I had a very bad case of mononucleosis. On the plus side, I had never smoked and never had a relative that I knew of with MS.
My grandfather, however, did have ALS, a disease that attacks motor neurons (a type of nerve cell) in the brain and spinal cord.
I wasted so many years with doctors not knowing what was wrong with me: Not having a clue what my symptoms meant until years later, when an MRI showed the lesions and then an MS diagnosis was given.
If I had known that I fell into the high risk category for MS, my doctors likely would have made a quicker diagnosis. It would have started me earlier on a treatment and healthier lifestyle plan.
My hope for this article is that anyone out there having symptoms of a disease check their risk factors. This knowledge may help give doctors the extra information they need for a quicker diagnosis.
Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
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Comments
John Reddick
My daughter has tuberous sclerosis and has recently experienced a lot of joint pain in various joints is she at a higher risk for MS
Debi Wilson
I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter, John. I'm not familiar with that disease, so her doctor would be best to help with your question. The best to you, Debi
Linda Holman
I'm 49yo white female. Last night sudden onset of numbness at different levels fluctuating. MRI was good. I have Afib(wasn't active at this time) so I went to er. Woke up this morning fine but once started talking about it it started again. seems to move through the body mostly right side though
Lauren glauner
I’m only 17 but fall into almost all of these categories and have been showing a few symptoms. Should I be worried? My mother has ms.
Dawson Jack
My mom was diagnosed with ALS on 1 year ago and the symptoms progressed so very fast that i couldn't do anything. she had tripping, dropping, abnormal fatigue of her leg, slurred speech, muscle cramps and twitches. I was very depressed. I couldn't resist it than to go deep into research for a cure.. It is absolutely killing me to know she can't do that again. She is terrified of what is to come. I saw a testimony post concerning a lady who once had ALS disease but was reserved using Dr Fabien Herbal product. I order the medicine and my mom used it as instructed for 3 weeks. Omg, during the 1 month of usage, all her symptoms disappeared. This is more than a miracle, I just can't believe her life is back again. Please lets share this to help others. Thank you Dr Fabien for your Kunime herbal product.
Jen orloski
a couple days ago my mom passed away at the age 42, she was diagnosed a couple years back and suffered a stroke, and multiple seizures. she could barely talk, couldn’t walk & lost pretty much her entire body weight. her ms had gone into her throat and lungs. i have an older sister and an older brother, what are the chances that one of us are to get it? ik its more common in girls and smokers and me and my sister smoke but my brother does not.
Clarence F Morey
My father (chronic progressive with a few 1-3 year remissions from age 14 to 64 (when he sadly passed from Lymphoma) , and 3 of his siblings in their 30-40s, (so, 2 sons & 2 daughters out of 11 children) have been diagnosed with MS.
I’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, add, depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder in my 20s. Sometime I feel like I’ve inherited my father’s gate, but it’s hard to tell if some of it is just nostalgia for the single father who raised me despite all odds. I also have proclivity for self-medicating (often appropriately and to slight excess for pleasure.) it’s hard to sort out what’s psychosomatic, idiopathic, due to ingestion of substances, and/or possibly due to remitting MS. I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel, that just randomly went away. I’ve had awful RLS that just went as fast as it came on. I’ve had numbness in one foot in a circle patch that seemed to spread to the other foot, but has no disappeared. I seem to go through period where my fish is foggy or cloudy and then it resolves. Other times for short period my hands feel like the fingers are crossed or certain sensations are barely noticeable. I also play multiple instruments at a professional level and practice frequently. I have limited sensation in my feet, but I stand for 8-10hrs a day. Sometimes I’m tired for days. Other times
I’m sharp as a tack and can stay up for days. I occasionally find I have a tremor only when initiating movement. It usually only lasts for a few hours. I’ve had sever mono in my teens. I have smoked
Heavily in the past. Thoughts?