Sjogrens: Viking Warrior Disease!

[magistramarla]

It makes perfect sense to me, too.  My grandmother, Minerva Marie MacWilliams, came to the U.S. with her family as a child from Scotland.  Her father built a home and farm in Illinois, and Minnie married a part-time farm worker who was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian - my grandfather. 
I remember seeing many of my great-aunts and uncles (all from the MacWilliams family) using walkers and suffering from what was called "the family curse", the family name for arthritis.  My mother and my aunt had many of the same symptoms that I now have, but the only things that they were dx'd with were arthritis and Alzheimer's.  One of my uncles had Parkinson's, and his daughter had MS.   
I think that AI issues have been passed down through my very Scottish family.
Marla

[Billydude]

It would be interesting to hear what decent everyone is from.   I'm all French.

[andymn]

I'm part swedish, part welsh and a whole lot of french. Not diagnosed with SS, but the blood work should be ready in a week (Doc seemed to indicate it's what she thinks it is, and I'm not one to argue after 3-4 years of weird and painful symptoms). But, the rheumatologist asked me my family background and when I said Swedish, she said that SS was one of the most common diseases she sees. Especially since she practices here in Minnesota, home of the Vikings. It all seems to make sense!

Andy

[inga]

The Scandinavians travelled all over Europe.  I am a quarter very homogenous Swede.  One can trace lines very easily and I have mine back 700 years to the Black Death...things kind of dropped off there.  (This happens when you have a state sponsored church....they have good and bad books, and keep records of you in them.)  I have a line from very far north in Sweden, and I think I got the medication intolerance genes from there.  Porphyria is rampant up in northern Sweden. 

I also did my British line and it goes back to....where else, the Viking invasions of France and Britian in the 800's. 

The rest of me is northern Polish blood, just south of the Baltic Sea....an area that was frequented by....who else???  The Vikings. 

I think those Vikings got around.  Then to make matters worse, I have founder effect, since my British ancestors came here in 1635....and intermarried.  I must have gotten many of the junk genes.....(at least I was good looking....lol)  I'm kidding.....yuk, yuk, ha, ha, chuckle.....whatever.   Pass the reindeer meat please.

[Katybarstool]

My great-grandparents on either side were Irish! I don't have their wonderful ginger hair though - I'm blue eyed and blonde.

Kathyx

[Epson]

Well that explains it, my mother was from Denmark, my dads side was from Ireland.  I traced my family lineage in Ireland only to find that we were the village idiots for two century's, oh and one court jester.  AI disorders on both side of the family, I'm genetically doomed.

[sleeeepy]

Wow!!  This is very interesting to say the least...keep the replies coming people...I keep checking back to see every new response....So Sjogrens should be traceable by a gene..then maybe a cure can be found?  Mary

[Scottietottie]

Hi
Did you know that the further away from the equator one lives (in the northern hemisphere at least) the greater the prevalence of MS. There is far more of it in the north of Scotland than the south and even more in the Orkney Isles (further north again) What I wonder is whether this is genetic or geographical. MS also being an AI disease - or have the vikings just spread it round the world??

Take care - Scottie 

[sewandsew]

You know, Viking Warrior Disease is a classier title than Sjogrens.  I think I'll stick with it.  Whenever you say to someone "Sjogrens"  they write Shogrens so you know they haven't a clue.

[inga]

If you live in northen lattitudes prior to age 15, your risk for MS goes up.  It doesn't matter if you move after age 15, your risk remains.

The question is.....Is the Kensington Runestone real or a fake?

[YYC_ Mommy]

Very interesting topic. I know that my Rheumy asked me about my heritage at my first appointment with him. On my mother's side I have Romanian, Czech, Ukranian and my father's side is German. But my family is filled with AI diseases. My brother has Crohn's, my Mom has sarcoidosis, my sister has Hashimotos, I have both hashimotos and Sjogren's. I have 2 maternal aunts that also have Hashimoto's and my materal grandmother also had Hashimoto's. There is also Crohn's disease on my father's side as well.

Maybe someone was "playing" with some Vikings in my family tree along the way? LOL!

[inga]

Well THIS is timely.  History Channel has the Vikings in America and Kensington thing on....lol.  Gosh, SjS must give you ESP.

[Suzy]

I've never heard this - VERY interesting theory! I'm Scottish, Irish, Welsh and English - one of each from each of my 4 grandparents. Pretty much everyone in my family has dark or red hair and blue or green eyes, so I don't think there's any Scandinavian mixed in there :-)

[mando621]

Hi,

I'm new here but not to AI boards.  I have what might be scleroderma and Sjogren's.  Interesting topic. I'm part Scottish with red hair, and I've always been told by my mother that the red hair came from the Vikings and their gene's.

By the way, I have a lip biopsy scheduled for Tuesday, I've put that off for 6 years, but now the Rheum. wants it.  I have symptoms consistant with Sjogren's and limited systemic scleroderma, but no official diagnosis other than Sicca. 

Esophageal hypomotility in lower 3rd, eyes < 3mm on Shirmer, burning mouth, smaller mouth and stiff upper lip, no major skin involvement obvious yet.  Oh yes, Reynaud's and abnormal capillaroscopy indicative of scleroderma.  It all started with the dry eyes.  I'm worried about the lip biopsy since a scan of the partoid glands didn't show abnormal uptake a few years ago, and I don't have a super dry mouth as of yet.  I hope it won't be all for nothing.

Mando.

[sleeeepy]

Sew and Sew....LOL I totally agree that the Viking Warrior Disease title is much classier than Sjogrens and I plan on calling it that from now on...including to any doctor I see...hehehe...  mary