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TRANSPLACENTAL INDUCTION OF MS . :~~'..!. ~~/;.
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Christopher M Reading, Psychiatrist, 10 Ian Avenue, North Curl Curl, ~(. (

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To the Editor:
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In 1979, I published an article "Multiple Sclerosis: Is it Transplacentally Induced ?"

There are now three articles in The Lancet supporting this. In October 1992 Tienari

et al discuss familial clustering ofMS and that magnetic resonance imagery (MRI)

was used to examine subclinical disease in symptom-free family members. Symptom

-free siblings with abnormal MRI findings were classified as "affected".

In May 1993, Rose and colleagues also record that evaluations of Mkl scans and

cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) suggest that subclinical disease is common in family

members of individuals with MS.

In April 1994, Jellinek talks ofMRI allowing assessment of the prevalence of "silent

MS" during life.

If MS is transplacentally induced, far more research needs to be done into intrauterine

influences causing the high risk for MS later. For instance, did the silent MS patient

or patient with active MS survive a threatened miscarriage (TMC) ?

Have MS patients more evidence of palmar crease and fingerprint pattern

abnormalities in keeping with intrauterine trauma ? Do MS patients have more

Sydney lines or Simian palmar creases than the normal population?

Could surviving a TMC be very much a risk factor for having MS later?

Understanding that MS indeed can be transplacental1y induced should help far more

in its primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, and thus supports what I said in

1979.

,(o.Ut.~ ,
Chris M Reading J
References.

1. Reading C M. Multiple Sclerosis: Is it transplacentally induced? Medical

Hypotheses. 1979; 5 : 1251 - 1255.

2. Tienari P J, Wikstrom J, Sajantilla A, Palo J, Peltonen L. Genetic Susceptibility

to Multiple Sclerosis linked to myelin basic protein gene. Lancet 1992 ; 340 :

987 - 991.

3. Rose J, Gerken S, Lynch S, Pisani P, Varvil T, Otterhud B, Leppert M.

Genetic Susceptibility in familial Multiple Sclerosis not linked to the myelin basic

protein gene. Lancet 1993 ; 341 : 1179 - 1181.

4. Jellinek E H. Trauma and Multiple Sclerosis. Lancet 1994 ; 343 : 1053 - 1054.