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Mononucleosis increases risk of multiple sclerosis


NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), resulting in infectious mononucleosis, which primarily effects adolescents and young adults, more than doubles the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life, results of a large review of studies suggest.

"Multiple sclerosis is a complicated disease, probably caused by a combination of factors," lead author Evan L. Thacker from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, told Reuters Health. "It is likely that some viral infections, such as infectious mono, play a role in determining whether multiple sclerosis will occur."

Similarities in the patterns of infectious mononucleosis and MS led the researchers to consider EBV as a cause of MS, Mr. Thacker and two colleagues from Harvard point out in the Annals of Neurology.

Both conditions occur in young adults, both are more prevalent in certain geographic locations and both are rare in populations in which infections occur at an early age, suggesting that late infection with EBV, evidenced by occurrence of infectious mononucleosis, is an important causal factor in MS," they explain.

However, studies that have evaluated the relationship between infectious mononucleosis and MS risk have produced inconsistent results.

Against this backdrop, the Harvard group systematically identified and statistically combined 14 relevant studies conducted in the US, Europe, and Australia to come up with an overall picture of the connection between infectious mono and MS.

"The most important observation in our study was that people who got infectious mono while growing up were about twice as likely to get multiple sclerosis later, compared to people who never got infectious mono," Thacker told Reuters Health.

"The potential implication of our observation is that some cases of multiple sclerosis could probably be averted through the prevention of infectious mono," he said. "One way to accomplish this might be to develop a safe and effective vaccine against Epstein-Barr virus."

SOURCE: Annals of Neurology, March 2006.

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Yup its true then, I ve am having MS due to a Enstein-Barr virus I was infected during my BEng studies. That figures, I was literally seeing stars during that mononucleosis infection I had, and I am still seeing stars till today where unfortunately I am one groovy MSer!

Everybody out there, stay away from Enstein Barr people.

Ow by the way does anybody know how you get this Enstein barr fella in your system. I ll tell ya

1. Beware of kissing skinny looking dirty woman (for men) or men (for woman) with black yellowish or no teeth and eyeballs that look like eggs!

2. Beware of smoking things like Bongs, Nargile etc with many people that look like toasted Taliban out of the grill.

3. Pay your bills.

.....The first two are serious the second is .... a joke!!

I got mono when I was 4 years old.

At 18, I got my first “ms relapse” and I was later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.



Staiko LOL

I didn’t do any of the things you have mentioned but I still got EBV

Staiko

I'm LOL too. Sort of.....

The advice to stay away from people with EBV was a day too late for me. My 5 year old nephew was just diagnosed with infectious mono and I spent a lot of time with him this past week end. I can hardly wait to see what happens next.

Does anybody know the incubation period for mono? I don't recall having it as a child and I already have MS. Just wondering if mono now might set off a big relapse? Anybody know? I know viral infections can lead to relapses, but mono when you already have MS might be really ugly.

Thanks

Sharon

Sharon & co,

I had a bad bout of gladular fever (mono)at 15 but did not have any MS symptoms until 39. I've mentioned before that I shared a roon with two other colleagues and two of us have been dx with MS - me in 2004 and the other in 2005. The other colleague was dx at 30 but had glandular fever at 25. Perhaps one of us re-infected each other? I imagine that viruses can lay dormant - like the JC virus which caused the PML in the Tysabri trials. Also the chicken pox virus can reactivate as shingles in some people.

I was looking up Rituximab and came across Dr Anne H Cross a neurologist at Washington University, St Louis who is undertaking a trial with RR patients. When I looked at her details the following popped out:

"Cross not only embraces challenges, but she's also inspired by them. When three of her classmates during medical training developed the debilitating and then-untreatable neurological disease multiple sclerosis (MS), Cross decided to focus her studies on finding a cure".

Three classmates would appear to show that an infectious agent is the cause / trigger. Given the age of these individuals mono (EBV) might be the culprit.

EBV infects 95% of the population so you need the genetic susceptibility.

I've been invited to an EBV research seminar in mid May. I'm pretty convinced that the data being presented will show that EBV (mono / glandular) fever is involved.

The research undertaken in Canada on children with MS showed that most had been infected with EBV (but not the control group who did not have MS). Apparently, similar research in Turkey showed the same results.

I contacted Dr Chaudhury who wrote the article about Tysabri a month and a bit ago. He said that the only way to prevent MS was an EBV vaccine.

So if EBV is shown as a cause and a vaccine is developed it could be good news for those in the future. But I'm not sure how knowing the cause / trigger will help those already with the disease. But identifying the cause / trigger must be a step in the right direction.

Ian

Hello Shayk,

I would like to advise you not to worry to much about getting affected with mono, just avoid at all costs getting in contact with infected spit. As for the incubation period, this is the tricky part, I think that (I say I think) you have nothing to worry about cause I know a few people that have gone through the mono thing (inlcuding myself) whereas nobody has never passed the virus out to other people.

EPB is considered as the kissing virus. DO not kiss someone you know that has this, not even if she is a 2 meter Blond Pamela Anderson type model waiting for you in a Bangalo in HAwai!

Staiko

Thanks for the reassurance. I'll do my best not to kiss any good looking man in a bungaloo in Hawaii. Any other states I should avoid? Just kidding.

I'm LOL.

Sharon

Hey Staiko Big LOL!


I had mono when I was 15. (got it from a boyfriend). What scares me is that my son had it when he was 14. Think I should be concerned? One better, I am concerned! but...

Maybe this will help establish a foundation for MS. I feel if they find the cause, they will find a cure. Make sense?

Shayk, did you kiss the child when you were visiting? PM me!

As I said once before somewhere here, there does not seem to be a one-to-one relationship for a germ and MS. Experts suspect EBV, then it's HHV-6, then Dr. Lindner's bacterium, then half a dozen others--what do they have in common? Don't they all bring inflammation?

This just seems a logical starting point to my unscientific mind!

Dear OneEyeBlind,

Their is only one advice I could give to you for your beloved son. Since unfortunately he has been infected with this "alien" type virus as alot of us have, he must take care of himself more then I did which means :
He must avoid at all cost becoming a smoker, drink to much alchool as well as beating up himself with a little hours sleep everyday due to clubbing partying computers anything that eats up sleep. If things like these are avoided and a bit of sport lightens up his soul there is actually nothing to worry about!!!

I ll tell ya a another secret
Eating at MC DOnalds doesnt help either!

I believe a mono turns into MS complications because we just couldnt take enough care of ourself, well thats what happend to me.

K.I.T. Keep It Together!!

Staiko,

Sounds logical to me but at age 16 I don't think he is very concerned with all of that stuff. I try my best to do what is right for all my kids.

I will however, pass your advise onto him.

Thanks,

My girlfriend in high school had mono does that count? My twin brother who is yet to be diagnosed with MS but is showing possible symptoms had if as well.
Terry