“They think multiple sclerosis may be an autoimmune disease but they really don’t know,” stated the nurse practitioner. That was the last time I saw him for anything more complicated than a cut or an ear infection. MS has been treated as an autoimmune disease for years. How could he say that? New research confirms multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease based on a molecular map and genetic study recently released. Yale, Harvard, University of California-San Francisco and MIT all worked on the recent mapping trying to find the root causes of 21 autoimmune disease including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and diabetes. “the researchers pinpointed precisely which cell type causes each autoimmune disorder and how these DNA variations induce immune cells to go awry.” (MNT)

“The findings, for instance, strongly link the cause of the neurologic disease MS to the immune system. To their surprise, researchers found no genetic variants affecting the nervous system. The results provide definitive evidence that MS is an autoimmune disease with clear evidence of a primary role of the immune system, Hafler said.” (MNT)

For more information read “The genetic origins of 21 autoimmune diseases revealed by molecular map” on http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/284647.php. Image from womenshealth.gov.