Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease in which your immune system attacks your central nervous system, including your brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve, destroying cells, tissue, and protective nerve coverings called myelin.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
Although your genes play a role in whether you develop MS\u2014and the risk is higher if other people in your family also have it\u2014MS is not a hereditary disease passed down directly from one family member to another<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Hereditary diseases are genetic changes, or mutations, passed down from parent to child. For example, cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disease caused by the mutation of a specific gene called CFTR\u2014and if you inherit a CFTR gene from both of your parents, you will have cystic fibrosis.\n<\/p>\n Multiple sclerosis is not a hereditary disease, even though genetics play a role.\n<\/p>\n For example, researchers have identified more than 200 genes associated with an increased risk of MS.\u00a0But being born with genes associated with a risk of MS is only a piece of the puzzle: You need a combination of genetics and environmental factors to develop the disorder<\/strong>.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n If you’re born with genes that allow for the development of MS under the right circumstances, exposure to some factors or circumstances may trigger the onset of MS. Many people are born with a genetic predisposition and never develop MS.\n<\/p>\n What’s the Risk If a Family Member Has MS? <\/p>\n Although MS isn’t hereditary, it does tend to run in families. Roughly 15-20% of people with the disease have a family history of it.\n<\/p>\n The average person in the U.S. has a less-than-1% chance of getting MS, but that risk increases for first-degree relatives:\n<\/p>\n In addition to some inherited genes, many factors are associated with an increased risk of MS<\/a>. These include:\n<\/p>\n If you’re at risk for multiple sclerosis, it may help to know some of the first signs of MS so you can recognize them as soon as possible. The symptoms of MS often begin in young adulthood, between the ages of 20 and 40. Symptoms of MS<\/a> may include:\n<\/p>\n Many of the symptoms overlap with other conditions, so diagnosing MS<\/a> can be challenging. There is no single test that can confirm you have it. Rather, doctors rely on a combination of strategies, including physical exams, blood tests, spinal fluid testing, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to diagnose or rule out other causes.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n\n
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