Multiple Sclerosis and Autoimmunity: A Veiled Relationship

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory illness that affects the central nervous system (CNS) when the body's immune system attacks its tissue. It is characterized by demyelination and varying degrees of axonal loss. This article has compiled various studies elaborating MS and other autoimmune diseases (ADs) co-occurrence. Several conditions that fall into this category, including type 1 diabetes (T1D), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), myasthenia gravis (MG), and many others, are found in MS patients and their relatives, suggesting one or more common etiologic mechanisms, including genetic, environmental, and immunological factors, supporting the concept of a possible influence of poly-autoimmunity on MS and the rest of ADs, as well as providing a significant feature for early detection of the disease and also a potential treatment option by clinical neurologists.

Keywords: autoimmune diseases; autoimmunity; common etiology; demyelinating disease; multiple sclerosis.

Figure 1. Non-HLA susceptibility loci for T1D and MS.

OR: odds ratio; HLA: human leukocyte antigen; T1D: type 1 diabetes; MS: multiple sclerosis; IL2RA: interleukin-2 receptor subunit alpha; CD226: cluster of differentiation 226; IL7R: interleukin-7 receptor; CLEC16A: C-type lectin domain containing 16A.

Figure 2. A potential link between genetic and environmental triggers with autoimmunity.

Th1: T-helper type 1; Th17: T-helper type 17. Image credits: Zineb Barkhane.