Multiple Sclerosis: ‘There is no individual MS gene’

Around 10,000 people in Austria suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS). It is a disease whose exact cause remains unclear. “It is very likely due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. But there is no individual ‘MS gene’”, said Karl Vass from the University Department of Neurology at the MedUni Vienna to mark the occasion of International MS Day on Wednesday.

In two studies which featured considerable involvement of the MedUni Vienna, the role of the MHC gene has now been confirmed in the development of multiple sclerosis, and it has been discovered that the diagnostic procedures used for adults are also effective for children.

Multiple sclerosis in children is rare. Five per cent of all cases of MS start at a very young age. It is usually teenagers who are affected. Says Vass: “This may be due to the development of autoimmunity during puberty.”

In a multicentre study led by Barbara Bajer-Kornek from Karl Vass’s team, 50 young MS patients were investigated at the time their disease first manifested itself. It was found that the diagnostic procedures used for adults, such as MRI scans, cerebrospinal fluid analysis or electrophysiological investigations, also yield good results in young people and that consequently “off-label” drugs – with the doses for adults calculated appropriately for children, since there are usually no studies involving such drugs – are the right way forward, says Vass.

A timely diagnosis generally has a very important role to play in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Says Vass: “The earlier we are able to establish a diagnosis of MS, the more effectively we are able to respond and draw conclusions regarding the right treatment.”

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