Science· 2022Q1
Longitudinal analysis reveals high prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus associated with multiple sclerosis
- 2,005citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2022year
Short summary
Infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is linked to a 32-fold increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), with neurodegeneration markers appearing only after EBV infection.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- EBV infection is associated with a 32-fold higher risk of developing MS.
- Risk of MS increased only after EBV infection, not other viruses like CMV.
- Neurofilament light chain, a marker of neurodegeneration, increased post-EBV infection.
- Study analyzed over 10 million individuals with 955 MS diagnoses.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system of unknown etiology. We tested the hypothesis that MS is caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in a cohort comprising more than 10 million young adults on active duty in the US military, 955 of whom were diagnosed with MS during their period of service. Risk of MS increased 32-fold after infection with EBV but was not increased after infection with other viruses, including the similarly transmitted cytomegalovirus. Serum levels of neurofilament light chain, a biomarker of neuroaxonal degeneration, increased only after EBV seroconversion. These findings cannot be explained by any known risk factor for MS and suggest EBV as the leading cause of MS.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Science, 2022 · DOI ↗
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Field: Pathology and Forensic Medicine
Pathology and Forensic MedicineMedicine