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Inherited immune problems

tinacarroll27

Senior Member
Messages
254
Location
UK
Hi I just wondered how many people with ME/CFS have family with immune problems, either autoimmune or allergies? My mum had severe asthma and loads of allergies, as well as eczema. In fact she died of an asthma attack aged 24 and she was always getting lung infections that put her in hospital.
My gran also had rheumatoid arthritis that started when she was in her early 30's and I would get joint pain as a child long before the ME but I don't have rheumatoid arthritis.
I have eczema and asthma like my mum and had allergies before the ME. I have always thought my mum played a part in me getting ME because I inherited her genes. Doctor Myhill says I have a twitchy immune system because I have always been vulnerable to allergy. I also have multiple chemical sensitivity and EMF sensitivity and they can cause PEM for me just as much as exertion. I definitely think it's genetic!
 

helen1

Senior Member
Messages
1,033
Location
Canada
My family are healthy as can be. No autoimmune or allergy problems at all. A few cancers in previous generations but both in heavy smokers.
 

tinacarroll27

Senior Member
Messages
254
Location
UK
I know quite a few people who were very healthy before ME. I also have a friend who developed ME after lymphoma treatment and I think she has lymphoma in the family. I think me mum gave me the genes for allergy and what part that all plays in me getting ME I don't know.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
the ME in my family (4 affected members all before they are 30, location - we live in different states so location doesnt seem to matter. Runs throu my grandmothers line with 4 of her granddaughters affected from 3 different sons. All these sons have quite severe celic disease (while the other 2 without celicas dont have any ME daughters) so there does appear to be a connection... one of these sons has also Aspergers like myself too.

This grandmother we can trace the family ME too (though she certainly does not have ME) she has FM, migraines, IBS, rheumatoid arthritis (from around 30s), osteroarthritis and lactose intollerance

(interestingly when I look at ME history, in the 1950s she was living next to a suburb in which a there was a ME outbreak with some hundreds affected at time, she would of been often in that suburb during the ME outbreak.. so could she be a carrier for something related to ME which has been passed down in family?).

I also have an Aspergers daughter and my other child has some immune issue or at least must of had as she got a very rare complication from a common virus her body was unable to fight properly which only has an incidence of 1 in 50,000 . After about 17 surgeries due to this, I took her to an accupuncturist who worked on her immune system and helped her get rid of the viral complication. (it annoys me looking back that the hospital did nothing at all to help her immune system though they knew her issue requiring regular surgery was a viral complication instead they just dealt with the issues it caused while just waiting for viral flare to settle down).

That daughter gets asthma (but her father was an asthmatic) and had issues with excema. (I get minor asthma but though I dont get hayfever now not with the ME, i had horrible hayfever throu my teens and before I got ME).

another very weird thing about that daughter who had the 1:50,000 viral complication (this is my non aspergers one), she once got like bad radiation burn from a computer .. she went bright red in skin exposed to the computer light, this actually blistered while she was using it. Interesting none of the other children using that computer including ones who were younger and used it far more and who continued using it, no one else got any reaction at all from it (they were on it at same time)

why would someone react severely to radiation while others dont? what naturally protects people from that which wasnt her? I had to ban her from using her fathers computer but as I said he had 3 younger children who used it more then her with no issues at all. (note it has been just those two occassions it happened.. I was super careful with her around computers for years after this).

So yeah I think something immune or autoimmune is happening in my family which has some connection with getting ME. I really fear that one day both my children will develop ME due to the family connections and health histories with the aspergers and immune issues already shown in them.

So far Ive found out i have no IgE... so IgE deficiency (that's meant to increase odds of getting ME by 25%.by one study). I also carry the gene for celiac disease. I'd really like to see a good study done on how many of us (at least using the canadian criteria) are carrying that gene. Just how strong is that connection in us?
 
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ebethc

Senior Member
Messages
1,901
Hi I just wondered how many people with ME/CFS have family with immune problems, either autoimmune or allergies? My mum had severe asthma and loads of allergies, as well as eczema. In fact she died of an asthma attack aged 24 and she was always getting lung infections that put her in hospital.
My gran also had rheumatoid arthritis that started when she was in her early 30's and I would get joint pain as a child long before the ME but I don't have rheumatoid arthritis.
I have eczema and asthma like my mum and had allergies before the ME. I have always thought my mum played a part in me getting ME because I inherited her genes. Doctor Myhill says I have a twitchy immune system because I have always been vulnerable to allergy. I also have multiple chemical sensitivity and EMF sensitivity and they can cause PEM for me just as much as exertion. I definitely think it's genetic!

yep, lots of allergies & histamine problems on my mom's side... No expressed AI diseases that I know of but my genetic testing has an overwhelming pattern of AI disease
 

ryan31337

Senior Member
Messages
664
Location
South East, England
One side of my family is rife with factor V leiden deficiency and circulatory problems (thrombosis, PE, Raynaud's), along with autoimmunity (coeliacs, rheumatoid arthritis, hypothyroidism). Migraine also very prevalent. There is some over-reaction to histamine but no real allergy.
 

Invisible Woman

Senior Member
Messages
1,267
Well, when I last needed a minor op. they went through my family medical history and my personal one and then there was a sucking in of breath followed by: Wow. Those are some genes you got there!

I won't bore you with all the tedious details but basically everyone in my immediate family has at least one autoimmune condition and the women all have at least two.
 

frog_in_the_fog

Test Subject
Messages
253
Location
California
I think there are autoimmune issues in my family, but they are undiagnosed. I am waiting for my diagnosis having been sick myself for more than ten years.