Hi, I was told I have RRMS in February this year and was offered DMDs in May, I am still unsure which to take. I am now 56 and had experienced weird stuff for about 4 years, so having the diagnosis explained a lot. I am also diabetic and I have arthritis in my right ankle, as well as the MS mainly affecting my right side. However, I am off work at the moment because I stumbled and fell on Friday 20 July. I landed quite heavily on my right knee and had to go to A & E on the Sunday where an x-ray revealed nothing broken but showed severe arthritis in the knee, and I was told that I will need a knee replacement when things settle down. Does anybody know if there is a link between MS and arthritis?? I am feeling really down again, as I am just collecting more and more conditions.
Yes there is supposedly a link; if you have one autoimmune condition you are prone to get another. Arthritis is definitely autoimmune but against many people’s thoughts the jury is still out whether MS is autoimmune.
It is very suggestive it is as in cases such as yours but nothing has been proven. See http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/immunesystem_link.html MS has many proposed causes; could it be that as everybody has differing symptoms therefore the aetiology could be different.
George
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and MS share important genetics and both are influenced by vitamin D3, but I don’t know of a direct link between oesteoarthritis and MS. (That doesn’t mean there isn’t one mind you - I don’t know everything!)
Vitamin D3 is important for healthy bones though, so if you are D3 deficient (which many MSers are), then it might have contributed to your arthritis, but I don’t think your MS is to blame for it.
If you haven’t already had one, I recommend getting your vitamin D levels tested. GPs are woefully out of date so make sure and get the actual numbers from the test results and not just a “normal” or “low”. MSers are being recommended these days to aim for a vitamin D3 level of more than 150nmol/l. The test results will show vitamin D2, D3 and an overall total vitamin D number - it’s the D3 one that’s important; you can ignore the rest.
I hope that this is your last new diagnosis for a very long time! I think you’ve had your fair share already 
Karen x