Multiple Sclerosis & Cross Sex Hormones

Study shows an elevated risk for this condition in Trans-identified Males.

Multiple sclerosis is three times more common in women but they tend to have better clinical outcomes than males. Women are often diagnosed with the variety known as “relapsing and remitting” which means it flares up and then goes into remission. In its early stages recovery tends to be complete but, over time, this can change. 65% of women diagnosed with RRMS eventually are diagnosed with a progressive variant. This can eventually lead to a “progressive” form of the disease when the body ceases to recover as it did previously. Some people are diagnosed with the “progressive” form at the outset.

This is a good article which makes it clear that, where multiple sclerosis is concerned, Sex Matters.

Multiple Sclerosis

The abstract makes it clear sexual dimorphism is a factor in developing the disease.

Sex hormones such as oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone affect the immune system and significantly affect MS disease susceptibility and clinical outcomes. So what happens to men who have their testosterone blocked and take exogenous hormones like progesterone and oestrogen?

A research group at Oxford University looked at this issue.

MS in Trans-identified Males.

Full article requires an account but it was also covered here which is sufficient information for my purposes.

Endocrine News

This isn’t a minor elevation of risk. It’s a sevenfold increase.

The article doesn’t elaborate about the nature of the multiple sclerosis that impacted these men. Did it conform to female typical pattern or were the clinical outcomes in line with the more negative experience of males?

Given that there is more susceptibility if you have a parent, or sibling, with the condition are the doctors, who are doling drugs out like like candy, doing any health screening that covers this? The NHS have this to say about the role of genetics in susceptibility to multiple sclerosis.

Our kids are a live experiment!