sexual intercourse - possible cause of MS

[astral7]

Sorry for my bad english.
I would like react to your news:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... en-it.html
I think that risk of multiple sclerosis increase sexual intercourse with parner who has specific genetic difference or have some pathogen.
Women who takes birth control pills have probably more sexual connections.
It explains why other studies on animals suggest that bird control pills decrease the risk.
Risk of multiple sclerosis is also higher for women at age between 20-40. It is age when women start sex live with partner.

[centenarian100]

It doesn't seem plausible that sex or sexually transmitted diseases cause multiple sclerosis as many children and virgins get MS.

Besides, all kinds of epidemiologic factors including childbearing, marriage, breast feeding have been looked at extensively with no clear correlation. I'm sure that if abstinence were protective, we would know about it by now.

[NHE]

I knew a husband and wife where the husband was diagnosed first and then the wife was diagnosed about 2-3 years later. It seems like the odds of that happening are pretty low. Perhaps one or both were a misdiagnosis. Has there been any research into husband & wife co-MS cases? It seems like a unique opportunity for study.

[ElliotB]

Your conclusion is quite different than that of the researchers. Perhaps you are not fully understanding the conclusions from the research.

[centenarian100]

I knew a husband and wife where the husband was diagnosed first and then the wife was diagnosed about 2-3 years later. It seems like the odds of that happening are pretty low. Perhaps one or both were a misdiagnosis. Has there been any research into husband & wife co-MS cases? It seems like a unique opportunity for study.

It has been studied. The risk of a spouse is roughly equal to that in the general population:

"Spouses of MS patients did not experience an increased risk of MS, suggesting no major role for environmental factors acting in adulthood. "

Source: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/162/8/774.full

It is thought that the environmental factors in MS exert their effect primarily in childhood and adolescence.

-C

[astral7]

I think, that genetical predisposition is necessary.
For example one of two partners could be reservoir of infection (patogen, bacteria toxin, bad RNA,....) and could have his own immune system resistant. But second partner have error in immune system and such infection could be fatal for him/her.

And how can I explain children disease? There is also posibility get the patogen in another way, but with low probability.

[NHE]

I knew a husband and wife where the husband was diagnosed first and then the wife was diagnosed about 2-3 years later. It seems like the odds of that happening are pretty low. Perhaps one or both were a misdiagnosis. Has there been any research into husband & wife co-MS cases? It seems like a unique opportunity for study.

It has been studied. The risk of a spouse is roughly equal to that in the general population:

"Spouses of MS patients did not experience an increased risk of MS, suggesting no major role for environmental factors acting in adulthood. "

Source: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/162/8/774.full

It is thought that the environmental factors in MS exert their effect primarily in childhood and adolescence.

You may have misunderstood my suggestion. It wasn't to look at the population of MS patients overall, but to single out and study husband and wife co-MS diagnoses.

[DrGeoff]

The original story as quoted by astral17, is a typical piece of sensational journalism. The Daily Mail is pretty much like the National Enquirer, and just about as good when it comes to the misuse of statistics.

What the report really said was that women who use a contraceptive pill have a 50% bigger chance of getting MS.
What the newspaper does not say is that the incidence of MS in the population of women of childbearing age is about 0.01% - so a 50% increase is taking the risk up to 0.015%.

Yes, a 50% increase in risk indeed - but all the way up from microscopic to minute.

Geoff

[jimmylegs]

thanks for the voice of reason dr

the topic takes me back a few yrs to when I was originally exploring zinc/uric acid interactions, and OCAs made their way into the picture then too:

http://www.thisisms.com/forum/natural-a ... tml#p50110

I had noted with interest then, that "zinc deficient diet resulted in greater drops in uric acid and zinc when subjects were taking oral contraceptives."

[astral7]

about 0.01% - so a 50% increase is taking the risk up to 0.015%.
Geoff

No.
Incidence of MS in general population is 0,1%.
incidence of MS in the population of women of childbearing age is higer then 0,1%. I think aproximately 0,15%
50% increase means 0,075%

Women in USA: 150 milions

0,075% means 110000 patients in US!!!
is it microscopic?

[centenarian100]

You may have misunderstood my suggestion. It wasn't to look at the population of MS patients overall, but to single out and study husband and wife co-MS diagnoses.

oh. I'm not sure about that.

[astral7]

If one of two partners is "Asymptomatic carrier" who can carry not only patohogens but also RNA in sperma or saliva od something in breath or odour. Then this partner couldn´t be infected himelf. Because his imunne system is resistant.
Then the study which looks to probabilty that the first partner get MS form second has no sense.

Big questionaire study with questions about partners, history, sexual intercourses and etc. is needed.

[blossom]

my x husband's first wife had ms. then i get with him and end up with symptoms they named ms. a hell of a coincidence??? or is he like a "typhoid mary"???

[NHE]

Bartonella is an infectious agent that's been linked to "autoimmune" diseases.

http://www.thisisms.com/forum/antibioti ... ml#p211282

[jackD]

I think SEX, DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL CAUSE MS. I WILL BE BACK WITH THE ROCK & ROLL ABSTRACT SOON - MAYBE??

jackD

1: Neuroepidemiology 1993;12(1):6-14
Drug abuse as a risk factor of multiple sclerosis: case-control analysis and a
study of heterogeneity.
Brosseau L, Philippe P, Methot G, Duquette P, Haraoui B.
Physiotherapy Programme, University of Ottawa, Canada.

The etiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) remains unknown despite considerable research involving a number of disciplines for many decades. Cluster analysis was used to disentangle the possible heterogeneity of MS, based on clinical characteristics of 108 subjects. Further on, a case-control study was conducted within each subgroup found with the cluster analysis, to test with more validity environmental risk factors, such as alcohol, tobacco, medication and drug abuse. The controls with a rheumatoid arthritis condition were matched to the cases on age, gender and same postdiagnostic period and were recruited from the same hospital. Three main groups of MS subjects were obtained from the cluster analysis, distinguished by the gender, the presence or not of family history and the degree of severity of their physical disability.
The results showed that drug abuse was the only risk factor with a statistically significant odds ratio for overall and for the unique female group without familial history of MS.
PMID: 8327025 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]