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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
The cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown. It's believed to be an autoimmune disease, in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. In multiple sclerosis, this process destroys myelin — the fatty substance that coats and protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord.
Myelin can be compared to the insulation on electrical wires. When myelin is damaged, the messages that travel along that nerve may be slowed or blocked.
Doctors and researchers don't understand why multiple sclerosis develops in some people and not others. A combination of factors, ranging from genetics to childhood infections, may play a role.
- Olek MJ. Epidemiology, risk factors and clinical features of multiple sclerosis in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 29, 2010.
- Olek MJ. Treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 29, 2010.
- Multiple sclerosis: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/multiple_sclerosis/detail_multiple_sclerosis.htm. Accessed Oct. 14, 2010.
- Neurological diagnostic tests and procedures. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/misc/diagnostic_tests.htm. Accessed Oct. 14, 2010.
- Burt RK, et al. Autologous non-myeloablative haemopoietic stem cell transplantation in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a phase I/II study. Lancet Neurology. 2009;8:244.
- Foley F, et al. Taming stress in multiple sclerosis. National Multiple Sclerosis Society. http://www.nationalmssociety.org/search-results/index.aspx?q=stress&x=0&y=0&start=0&num=20. Accessed Oct. 15. 2010.
- Harmon M. Exercise as part of everyday life. National Multiple Sclerosis Society. http://www.nationalmssociety.org/search-results/index.aspx?q=exercise&sitesearch=&x=0&y=0&start=0&num=20. Accessed Oct. 14, 2010.
- Medication guide: Gilenya. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/drugsatfda/index.cfm?fuseaction=Search.Label_ApprovalHistory. Accessed Oct. 20, 2010.
- Lucchinetti CF (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Oct. 18, 2010.
- Baclofen. Micromedex Healthcare Series. http://www.micromedex.com. Accessed Nov. 23, 2010.
- Tizanidine hydrochloride. Micromedex Healthcare Series. http://www.micromedex.com. Accessed Nov. 23, 2010.
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