The cause of MS has remained a mystery despite an intense research effort. Research however has produced a great deal of information on many aspects of MS and all this information provides constraints on any proposed hypothesis for the cause of MS . There have been lots of proposed causes which vary from the bizarre to the plausible. It has become apparent that no one really knows the cause of MS. There is still much studying and research to be done for many yrs. to come.
No one is sure what causes MS, but most researchers think the immune system plays a major role. Perhaps the disease arises from an inherited problem in the immune system. Perhaps a virus provokes an autoimmune response a situation in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissue, mistaking it for a foreign invader.
Dietary factors have also been cited as possible causes. In attempting to explain the higher incidence of MS in northern regions, some researchers note that people there tend to eat more red meat, milk products and other foods high in saturated fat. MS patients have a lower-than-normal ability to absorb polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are essential to the body's processing of all foods, especially saturated fat. The result is an excess of saturated fats in their systems. Many remedial diets have been devised to correct this imbalance, and some have met with sustained success but none can be considered a cure.
Researchers are exploring ways to selectively target those immune cells responsible for the demyelination of MS. Physical therapy has proved effective in relaxing stiff limbs, maintaining motion in the joints, and improving circulation. A physical therapist can also help design an exercise program tailored to the individual's particular limitations.
Although it is frequently stated that the cause or causes of MS have not been clearly identified, some distinctly similar conditions can be noted. For example, divers can develop a form of disease with pathology which is similar to MS, the damage in the nervous system is due to leakage from small veins. In divers, this leakage is formed by gas bubbles in the circulation formed during decompression (air embolism). Similarly a natural disease process can occur due to particles of fatty tissue entering the circulation. This is called 'fat embolism' and this form of embolism can occur in a variety of conditions causing tissue damage, e.g. with fractures.
They really don't know yet. Some think it is viral, some think it is bacterial. Some think silver or amalgam fillings in your teeth are the culprits. The truth is that they just don't know but they are diligently researching this theory.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging has shown that the initial damage in MS is often "silent", that is without the production of symptoms. The presence of the damage may then be unmasked by a problem or problems totally unrelated to the cause of the disease. For example, most patients have discovered that heat can make them worse (and American neurologists have provoked symptoms with the 'hot bath test' since 1937), but this does not mean that hot baths cause MS! They just exacerbate the existing problems. Various other things can provoke attacks especially, for example, bladder infections.