Multiple sclerosis

It is an autoimmune disease in which immune cells attack the so-called myelin sheaths of nerve cells, thereby severely limiting the transmission of nerve impulses. The mechanisms of this disease have not yet been precisely described, but it is certain that in addition to genetic influences, epigenetic ones are also strongly involved.
The development of the disease has been shown to be related to vitamin D3 levels, which have significant epigenetic effects. Most patients have also been found to have EBV virus, which reduces the activity of DNA methyltransferase enzymes and may damage genes associated with the development of multiple sclerosis (but a direct link has not yet been established). In any case, different patterns of gene methylation and histone acetylation have been demonstrated in patients. Smoking, which is also a strong epigenetic factor, significantly increases the likelihood of developing the disease.


