TLDR - Most people in the CIRS space says that genetic susceptibility is a core reason for having CIRS. I disagree, not everyone with the genotypes develops issues. What are those people doing differently? I believe environment and lifestyle have a significantly larger impact on your health than your genes alone.
HLA Genes
HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) genes are responsible for regulating the immune system. Specific HLA genotypes have been linked and associated with a higher risk of developing CIRS, particularly those related to mold sensitivity, Lyme disease, and other biotoxin-related illnesses.
Mold Susceptibility: Individuals with HLA-DR genotypes such as 11-3-52B, 12-3-52B, and 14-5-52B are more susceptible to mold related CIRS.
Multi-Susceptible: Genotypes like 4-3-53 and 1-5 are considered multi susceptible, meaning individuals with these genotypes are at risk for multiple biotoxin related illnesses, including mold and Lyme disease.
Lyme Susceptibility: Certain HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 alleles are linked to an increased risk of chronic Lyme disease and other tick borne illnesses, which can also trigger CIRS.
Impact on Immune Response
Genetic susceptibility impacts how the immune system responds to biotoxins. In susceptible individuals, the immune system fails to recognize and effectively clear biotoxins, leading to chronic inflammation.
Why Doesn’t Everyone With the Variant Get CIRS?
We are told that having certain genetic variants makes you statistically more susceptible to conditions like CIRS. It's also clear that not everyone with these variants will develop CIRS or any related issues. Why is this the case? Many argue that those without problems were simply never exposed to the triggers. I disagree.
Personally, I have the 17-2-52A and 15-6-51 HLA haplotypes. These genotypes suggest a higher susceptibility to mold, chronic Lyme disease, and multiple sclerosis. For years, I lived in moldy homes, consumed alcohol, ate poorly, and pushed my body to the limits, never considering my health. Despite this, I had no issues until around age 27. Why did I thrive for so long? Did this all just catch up to me?
Reflecting on my experience, I realize that key factors led to my health changes:
Stress and Mental Mindset: My work related stress and mental outlook had a significant impact.
Circadian Rhythm and Mitochondrial Stressors: Disruptions in circadian rhythms and stress on my mitochondria played crucial roles.
Genes vs Gene Expression
Genes determine your baseline risk for certain diseases, like a blueprint. Gene expression is how these genes actually work, which can be influenced by your environment and lifestyle. More details in my Genetic Expression post
Environment and Mindset Influence on Gene Expression
What causes changes in gene expressions? Many factors can influence this, but key ones include environment and mindset. My genes have remained the same throughout my life, so why did it take so long for health issues to occur? Did it all just slowly accumulate, or did changes in my lifestyle and mindset significantly impact my gene expression?
My mindset had been spiraling downhill due to extremely complex work projects that were not doing well. I was traveling weekly, which burdened my mitochondria and I had disrupted light signaling, severely disrupting my circadian rhythm. When things were at their worst, I was staying inside due to COVID, rarely seeing natural sunlight. There is clearly much more to this, but as reflect, I am certain that lifestyle and mindset changes were the largest factors in altering my gene expression and causing my major symptoms. The genes themselves were not my destiny. They may have had minor impacts, but the changes in gene expression were the true drivers of my health issues. More details on my health journey.
To visualize this, think of your genes as having a 1 or 2 out of 10 impact on getting CIRS, while your gene expression, highly influenced by your lifestyle and environment, has an 8 out of 10 impact. (Note that this is not perfect science and is just hypothesis based on my journey reversing CIRS and other “incurable” conditions).