Multiple Sclerosis: World's highest rate in Orkney Islands

[MSUK]

Scotland's Orkney Islands have the highest rate of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the world, according to a major new study.

Researchers said that the rate for probable or definite MS was now 402 per 100,000 people, up from a previous 309 per 100,000 which was recorded in 1974.

Teams at the universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen carried out the study.

They are now trying to work out why the figure in Orkney is so high, but believe genes could play a key role.

With MS, the protective layer around nerves, known as the myelin sheath, becomes damaged.

Messages from the brain to the rest of the body are disrupted, resulting in difficulty moving, muscle weakness and blurred vision.

There are many suspected risk factors, and the disease is known to be more common away from the equator.

MS affects about 100,000 people in the UK.

The new study found that one in 170 Orcadian women suffer from the condition.

The current figure for Orkney compares to 295 per 100,000 in Shetland and 229 per 100,000 in Aberdeen....Read More - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseact ... ageid/2325

[lyndacarol]

I am on the mailing list of Dr. Denise Faustman, a Harvard University researcher working on a cure for type I diabetes. In her fall letter were links giving more information on her work: http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/192352 ... t-diabetes

Then, there was this Bloomberg article: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-0 ... for-tb.htm Dr. Faustman mentions that Italian researchers are working on the same treatment for multiple sclerosis and that they are ahead. I think this article: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00202410 , compliments of a post by mrbarlow here at TIMS, may be the work in Italy that Dr. Faustman references in the video, "New Hope against Diabetes."

I do not believe that the BCG vaccine will be successful being used to manage TNF for MS because of a friend's experience. She grew up in Ireland where she moved around often and attended several schools; a BCG vaccine was required at each new school – she thinks she has received the BCG vaccine four times. She now has MS. Could this be due to repeated, required BCG vaccines? I have been told that the BCG vaccine is required of school-age children in the UK due to the increased exposure to tuberculosis in the immigrant population. I assume the same mandatory requirement exists in Scotland's Orkney Islands.

I think the increased insulin triggered by BCG (in vaccines; TB skin tests, a.k.a. Mantoux tests use tuberculin derivative PPD – purified protein derivative), as Dr. Faustman has found it increases insulin secretion, will make MS worse (since I still believe the insulin/MS connection) . This vaccine uses attenuated (weakened), i.e., live bacteria. Is it possible that BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) continues to live in the body and is NOT eliminated by antibodies, that the bacterium has found a balance there and it prompts the pancreas to make excess insulin? How does the map of prevalence for MS compare to the map of prevalence for tuberculosis? Testing for BCG in the Orkney Islands might be revealing.

I have been told that roxithromycin is a front-line TB drug; it is a strong antibiotic for most people. Might this account for the success of antibiotics among some people with MS?

Sun exposure was the standard treatment for tuberculosis 100 years ago, long before the advent of antibiotics. This could be the explanation for the lower prevalence of MS with proximity to the equator.

[TaureDawn]

Tuberculosis -- I was tested for that a few years back some between 2006-2008 (I can't recall the exact year). Results: Negative. A clean bill of health concerning TB.

I was diagnosed with MS February 13th 2012.

Is there a connection between TB and MS (concerning checking for TB and maybe the TB treatments) but I don't know if there is a relationship between the two.

IF almost everyone with MS was at least checked for TB BEFORE they were diagnosed with MS then I'd say a definite connection but in not then it remains questionable.

[lyndacarol]

Tuberculosis -- I was tested for that a few years back some between 2006-2008 (I can't recall the exact year). Results: Negative. A clean bill of health concerning TB.

I was diagnosed with MS February 13th 2012.

Is there a connection between TB and MS (concerning checking for TB and maybe the TB treatments) but I don't know if there is a relationship between the two.

IF almost everyone with MS was at least checked for TB BEFORE they were diagnosed with MS then I'd say a definite connection but in not then it remains questionable.

Perhaps the culprit is not the bacteria that causes TB, but is the similar BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) in the TB vaccine, which triggers excess insulin production.

[cheerleader]

What wasn't mentioned in this article is that the Orkney Islands are being used for a variety of health studies, and researchers are learning that this population is not very healthy. Dr. Jim Wilson has many studies ongoing--this is from a press release in 2004--

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 084822.htm

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh are launching a new two-year study aimed at improving treatment for three of Scotland's most common life-threatening diseases: heart disease, stroke and diabetes. The study will recruit 1,000 adults from one of the remotest parts of the UK-- the North Isles of Orkney. The islands have been chosen for the project because the people living there are isolated geographically, which means they share a more similar environment: there is less variety in occupations, diet and other factors compared with most other areas of Scotland.
The stability of the population also allows family trees to be traced back as many as eight generations, which will enable researchers from the University and the Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit in Edinburgh to understand the impact of genetic factors on the development of the three diseases. Lead investigator Dr Jim Wilson of Public Health Sciences at the University of Edinburgh explained: "The Orkney Cardiovascular Disease Study (ORCADES) will increase our understanding of the relative roles of inheritance and the environment in causing these diseases, and will include a search for any genes that predispose strongly to illness. The volunteers taking part in the project will have the benefit of a health check and will also be contributing to improving the health of the community in Orkney, and in Scotland as a whole, through medical research."

And what have researchers learned since? It's not just genes---there are many environmental factors leading to ill health.
There are high numbers of cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and other diseases.
Orkney has much higher rates of obesity and diabetes than the rest of the UK.
http://www.orkney.gov.uk/Files/Active_S ... 13_web.pdf

Alchoholism is a major problem on the Orkney Islands. Alcohol addiction and abuse are reported at higher than average numbers in the populace. 90% of the population drinks alcohol regularly.
One third of all residents smoke cigarettes. One in three teenage girls are regular smokers. 40% of all adults said that they came in daily contact with cigarette smoke.
Diet on the islands consists of soups, stews, potatoes, baked goods. Fresh fruits and vegetables are hard to find.
Exercise and outdoor activities are limited due to climate. People have low vitamin D levels.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3027007
http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/d ... /DASAT.pdf
http://jech.bmj.com/content/34/4/240.full.pdf

What does all this mean? Genetic factors, epigentic factors, and environmental factors all need to be considered in the Orkney Island study.....it's not just about low vitamin D, or a vaccine, or viking genes. It would be nice if health was that simple. But it's much more complex.
cheer