| The role of genetics as the cause of multiple sclerosis has
not been established, however, there is strong evidence that there is
a genetic component to the disease. What this means is that
the genes you have inherited may play a role in making you more susceptible
to developing multiple sclerosis. They do not, however, mean that you
will definitely develop the disease.
| Population studies have shown that people
of Northern European ancestry are more likely to develop the disease
than people whose ancestry is Southeast Asian. Studies in families
where multiple sclerosis occurs have
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| shown that relatives of someone with
multiple sclerosis have a greater chance of developing the disease
than they would normally have. |
Studies with identical twins have shown that if an identical
twin develops multiple sclerosis, then there is a one in three chance
that the other will also develop the disease.
This does point to a strong genetic component in multiple
sclerosis but it also shows that there is more going than just genes.
This is because if one twin develops multiple sclerosis, the other would
also definitely develop the disease if it was solely a matter of inherited
genes.
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