Pathoetiology of MS : are we barking up the wrong tree?

[MSUK]

ABSTRACT
Despite a century of intensive investigation, the underlying cause of multiple sclerosis has eluded us. It is clear that there exists a prominent progressive degenerative phenotype together with an important autoimmune inflammatory component, and careful histopathological examination always shows, to a greater or lesser degree, concomitant degeneration/demyelination and adaptive T cell-dependent immune responses. Given this picture, it is difficult, if not impossible, to definitively say whether degeneration or autoimmunity is the initiator of the disease. In this review, I put forward the evidence for and against both models and speculate that, in contrast to the accepted view, it is equally likely that multiple sclerosis may be a degenerative disease that secondarily elicits an autoimmune response, and suggest how this might influence therapeutic approaches........... Read More - http://www.ms-uk.org/index.cfm/msetiology

[HarryZ]

Excellent article to say the least!

Dr. Styss looks at the big picture of MS and states what many have said for a long time...is there an unknown cause of inflammation in the brain that triggers the immune system into causing further damage.

As well, he mentions that after decades of research, no known cause has been discovered and thus little in the way of long term effective treatments. Far from the thinking of several MS docs and the drug companies who continue to push the long term use, expensive auto-immune system altering drugs that have dominated most MS research for a very long time.

Harry