Apr 18 – MS Factors

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ANCHOR LEAD: THE COMPLEXITY OF MS COMPLICATES THE ROLE OF STATINS IN THE CONDITION, ELIZABETH TRACEY REPORTS

Do statins help people with multiple sclerosis slow down progression of the disease, as suggested by a recent study? Peter Calabresi, an MS expert at Johns Hopkins, says MS is so complicated and each person’s condition so unique, the answer is a resounding maybe.

CALABRESI: We now know that there are over 200 single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with conferring risk of getting MS, so it’s genetically very complex, yet we know that identical twins with the exact same genes are not concordant for the disease so that tells us that the environmental triggers are also very important. Vitamin D levels, perhaps exposure to certain microbial pathogens, certain viruses, what we call comorbid illnesses or other disease affect the disease outcome, propensity for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol it’s more likely that you will progress more quickly. :32

Calabresi says while waiting for further study he does not recommend statins for MS. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.