Familial Factors May Not Impact MS Severity: Study

Findings have major implications for counseling of patients, researchers say

MONDAY, Jan. 29, 2007 (HealthDay News) -- In families where more than one person has multiple sclerosis (MS), people are likely to experience the onset of MS at a similar age, but they may not have similar disease severity, a U.K. study finds.

This is important information to have when counseling patients, the researchers said.

"We've known for some time that family influence plays a role in whether you are susceptible to MS, but it has not been clear whether your family influence affects the course of the disease," lead author Alastair Compston, of the University of Cambridge Clinical School, said in a prepared statement.

The study is published in the Jan. 30 issue of the journal Neurology.

The researchers analyzed data -- such as age at MS onset, disease severity, and disability -- on 2,310 people from more than 1,000 families in which at least two members had MS.

Age at MS onset was similar among all family members (parents, children, and siblings). Siblings tended to have the same pattern of disease progression, but there was no such correlation between parents and children.

There was no correlation in disease severity among any family members.

"Disease progression is often considered the indicator of severity. But, we found evidence that disease severity is more likely to be similar between two family members with MS than two unrelated people with MS," Compston said.

He said the study's findings have major implications for counseling MS patients.

"People should not draw personal conclusions for their own MS prognosis and expected disease severity from observing the condition of their relatives with MS," Compston said.

More information

The American Medical Association has more about multiple sclerosis.

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