Seven Things That Could Increase Your Risk of MS

The main risk factors for multiple sclerosis.

What’s MS? - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a mysterious disease. Who gets it, why they get it and how each case of the disease can be vastly different from the next one all have medical experts pretty puzzled.What we do know: MS is an autoimmune disease that occurs when your immune system attacks your central nervous system. We don’t know what triggers the process, but here are seven factors that might contribute, By BlackHealthMatters.Com.(Photos from left: PNP/WENN.com, Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images For BET).

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What’s MS? - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a mysterious disease. Who gets it, why they get it and how each case of the disease can be vastly different from the next one all have medical experts pretty puzzled.What we do know: MS is an autoimmune disease that occurs when your immune system attacks your central nervous system. We don’t know what triggers the process, but here are seven factors that might contribute, By BlackHealthMatters.Com.(Photos from left: PNP/WENN.com, Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images For BET).

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Gender - Montel Williams might be the celebrity name that comes to mind when you think about MS, but the disease disproportionately strikes women. And according to the experts, the gender gap is widening. It used to be two women to every one man, but new studies show it is approaching four women to every man. Another recent study says Black women are more likely to contract MS than previously thought.(Photo: LWA/Dann Tardif/Getty Images)

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Genetics - Does someone else in your family have MS? Your risk is likely increased as a result of this. The risk is 1 in 750 for most folks. It’s 1 in 40 for those with a close family member with the disease, and 1 in 4 if your identical twin has it.(Photo: digitalskillet/Getty Images)

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Genetics - Does someone else in your family have MS? Your risk is likely increased as a result of this. The risk is 1 in 750 for most folks. It’s 1 in 40 for those with a close family member with the disease, and 1 in 4 if your identical twin has it.(Photo: digitalskillet/Getty Images)

My Hair Can Grow Longer During Pregnancy – FACT - If you’re pregnant or have been, you may have found that your hair felt fuller during your pregnancy although your hair isn’t actually growing faster. Instead, you were simply losing it at a slower rate than usual. During the resting phase of hair growth, your hair naturally sheds. During pregnancy women experience higher estrogen levels, which prolong the hair’s growth phase resulting in less shedding.  (Photo: Monika Bender/Getty Images)

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Birthdate - Spring babies are at higher risk of MS, according to a Finnish study. What explains this phenomenon? Your mom’s low levels of vitamin D during winter pregnancies.(Photo: Monika Bender/Getty Images)

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Age - Anyone, including children, though that’s rare, can be diagnosed with MS, but it’s more likely to occur when you’re between the ages of 20 and 50. (Photo: Inti St Clair/Getty Images)

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Geography - You are at higher risk for MS the farther you live from the equator. Sweden? Check. Louisiana? Not so much. Researchers believe this might have something to do with how much vitamin D we have. Our bodies make vitamin D in response to sunlight. Live far from the equator, you make less.(Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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Geography - You are at higher risk for MS the farther you live from the equator. Sweden? Check. Louisiana? Not so much. Researchers believe this might have something to do with how much vitamin D we have. Our bodies make vitamin D in response to sunlight. Live far from the equator, you make less.(Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

New Year, New Attitude - It looks as though many Americans are taking their pledge for a healthier lifestyle in 2013 to heart, and for some, it starts with kicking bad habits. In a study published Jan. 8 by Legacy, a national tobacco education foundation, 34 percent of U.S. adults said they planned to quit smoking as a New Year’s resolution in 2013. Just 18 percent in the study said it was a resolution for 2012. (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

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Smoking Status - Yet another reason to give up cigarettes: Smokers and ex-smokers are more likely to be diagnosed with MS than someone who never smoked. The more you smoke, the greater your risk. Though your risk is elevated even if you no longer smoke, quitting can help. The disease seems to progress more quickly in current smokers.(Photo: Marie-Reine Mattera/Getty Images)

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Autoimmune Disease Clusters - Some autoimmune conditions tend to occur together. That means if you have inflammatory bowel disease, you might also develop MS. There is some good news on this front: The link between lupus and MS doesn’t appear to be as strong.(Photo: Siri Stafford/Getty Images)