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Autoimmune Disease
The current theory today is that MS is an autoimmune disease. Although there have been many theories as to what causes multiple sclerosis, most scientists and doctors have come to almost unanimously accept this one.
* Autoimmune Disease
"...a disease where the bodies own immune system causes the condition by attacking healthy tissue."
White blood cells can also attack healthy cells and organs. The body cannot maintain good health if healthy cells, tissues, and organs are thought to be the enemy.
An overactive immune system is the culprit. Something triggers it to go into hyper mode. As of yet, no one knows exactly what those triggers are.
Women are more likely to suffer from these types of diseases. And they usually start not too long after puberty. This is true for MS, because there are a higher number of women who have it. The ratio is 2:1 for women to men with multiple sclerosis.
That is one of the reasons Cir's first doctor said he couldn't have MS. Although it is rare, we obviously know it is possible for men to also get MS. The other reason was he felt that African Americans did not usually develop MS. This is also another statistic that may not be completely correct.
African Americans or People of Color are less likely to get diagnosed with MS, especially in areas where diagnostic equipment like MRI machines are not available. People of color around the world are less likely to come forward or even seek help for many of the illnesses that effect them.
Multiple sclerosis is one of several diseases in this category. Your chance of developing another one goes up when you already have an autoimmune condition. I know of several people who have two or more.
The following is a list of just a few of them.
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Scleroderma
- Lupus
- Diabetes
- Grave's disease
- Fibromyalgia
- Hashimotos disease
All of the above are also thought to be caused by an overactive immune system which attacks healthy tissue within the body. The system which is attacked determines which disease you will develop. Why your body does this is still the question doctors and scientists are trying to answer.
A video explaining autoimmune disorders
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