Using genetics to better understand multiple sclerosis
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UZ Leuven, Neurology Department, Belgium
Neurological diseases have a substantial and growing impact in our society. Multiple Sclerosis is one of the most common neurological disorders. Life-time risk of developing the disease is 1/500 in north-western Europe. Approximately 1.3 million individuals worldwide and 11,000 individuals in Belgium suffer from the disease. Onset of the disease typically occurs in early adulthood, between 20 and 40 years of age, at the start of building out a family and a professional career. The disease leads to significant physical and cognitive disability and hence has an important impact on the personal, social and professional life of patients and their relatives. The currently available treatments are only partially effective. The pathogenesis of the disease has not been unravelled yet, but the past years have seen exciting progress in the field. A large number of genetic risk factors have been identified, and patients differ in which combination of genetic risk factors they carry. We now are facing the challenge of translating this list of genes into an improved understanding of disease mechanisms and hopefully to better treatments.
Samenvatting in het Nederlands
Multiple sclerose (MS) is een ontstekingsziekte van hersenen en ruggenmerg waarvoor tot nu toe slechts gedeeltelijk werkzame behandelingen beschikbaar zijn. De oorzaak van de ziekte is nog onvoldoende begrepen, maar erfelijke factoren kunnen de vatbaarheid ervoor beïnvloeden. We gaan in op de huidige stand van de wetenschap rond erfelijkheid en MS, en bespreken hoe dergelijke inzichten kunnen leiden tot vooruitgang in de aanpak van deze ziekte.
Résumé en français : La sclérose en plaque est une maladie inflammatoire du cerveau et de la moelle épinière pour laquelle il n’existe actuellement que des traitements partiellement actifs. On ne comprend pas encore très bien les causes de la maladie mais des facteurs héréditaires semblent influencer la prédisposition. Nous décrirons l’état actuel de la science en matière d’hérédité et de sclérose en plaque et nous expliquerons comment de telles connaissances peuvent conduire à un progrès au niveau de l’approche de cette maladie.
Keywords:
Multiple Sclerosis,
cognitive disability,
physical disability,
Genes,
Risk factors
Conference:
6th Belgian Brain Congress, MONS, Belgium, 8 Oct - 8 Oct, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Oral Presentation
Topic:
Brain and brain diseases: between heredity and environment
Citation:
Dubois
B
(2016). Using genetics to better understand multiple sclerosis.
Conference Abstract:
6th Belgian Brain Congress.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnagi.2016.03.00059
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Received:
10 Jul 2016;
Published Online:
10 Jul 2016.
*
Correspondence:
Prof. Benedicte Dubois, UZ Leuven, Neurology Department, Leuven, 3000, Belgium, benedicte.dubois@uzleuven.be