Health

Cause of Multiple Sclerosis Discovered


MS is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that attacks the myelin sheaths that protect nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. MS affects nearly 2.8 million people worldwide, and there is still no cure.

Its cause is unknown, but one of the leading suspects is EBV, a herpes virus that can cause infectious mononucleosis and cause latent, lifelong infection in animals. owner.

Establishing a causal relationship between the virus and the disease is difficult because EBV infects about 95% of adults, MS is a relatively rare disease, and the onset of MS symptoms begins about ten years later. during EBV infection.

To determine the link between EBV and MS, researchers conducted a study of more than 10 million active-duty young adults in the United States military and identified 955 who were diagnosed with MS during their lifetime. service time.

The team analyzed serum samples taken every two years by the military and determined the soldier’s EBV status at the time of the first sample collection and the association between EBV infection and MS onset during active duty. .

In this cohort, the risk of MS was increased 32-fold after infection with EBV but remained unchanged after infection with other viruses. Serum levels of nerve fiber light chains, a biomarker of nerve degeneration typical in MS, increased only after EBV infection.

The results could not be explained by any known risk factors for MS and suggest that EBV is the leading cause of MS.

Ascherio says that the delay between EBV infection and MS onset may be partly because the disease’s symptoms go undetected in its earliest stages, and partly because a relationship develops between EBV and the host’s immune system. host, which is repeatedly stimulated whenever the latent virus reactivates.

“Currently there is no way to effectively prevent or treat EBV infection, but an EBV vaccine or targeting the virus with an EBV-specific antiviral drug can prevent or cure it,” Ascherio said. MS disease”.

Source: Eurekalert

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