This is the case for all autoimmune diseases; it’s hard to determine what causes one’s immune system to turn on itself. Saunders states that one theory is that a virus triggers the immune system dysfunction, leading to MS. There also appears to be a genetic factor, though it is not a hereditary disease. She claims that about 10-20% of people with MS can identify others in their extended family with the disease. It isn’t a direct link, but it’s also a higher percentage than expected if by pure chance (Saunders, 2011). It is widely agreed that MS is a multifactorial disease, meaning that multiple things have to happen in a person’s body for the disease to develop, not one specific causal factor (Ward-Abel, …show more content…
The introduction of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) in the 1990s has vastly improved the outlook for people diagnosed with MS (Ward-Abel, 2014). There was finally a way to improve the quality of life for people suffering from this disease. Lily (2006) reported a study that claimed these DMTs reduced the number of relapses in a given time by nearly a third. According to Ward-Abel, the current injectable DMTs are interferon beta 1a (Avonex and Rebiff), interferon beta 1b (Betaferon and Extavia), and glatiramer acetate (Copaxone) (2014). These are considered the first-line treatments, meaning these would come before any other