The leading cause of multiplesclerosis is a common infection called the Epstein-Barr virus. Military personnel who tested positive for the virus went on to have a higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis than those who didn't, according to research. The findings support the need for a preventative vaccine or treatments that can directly target the typically lifelong latent infections.
About 1 million people in the U.S. are thought to be affected by multiplesclerosis. A lack of myelin in the brain and body can lead to a range of symptoms, including weakness, pain, and difficulty walking.
After the initial flare-up, multiplesclerosis progresses differently from person to person, and most people will avoid symptoms for months or years at a time between relapses. Some multiplesclerosis sufferers will stop having periods of remission eventually, but about 10% to 20% of them have to live with constant and often worsening symptoms. Even the average person with a life expectancy of less than a decade loses their ability to walk, speak, and write in the most severe cases.
There is no established cause of the disease, but it is thought that certain infections may be the initial cause. One of the most prominent suspects is the Epstein-Barr virus.
Everyone in their lives has at some point in their lives contracted the herpesviruses, known as EBV. Infections that are caught during the teen or adult years are one of the main causes of infectious mononucleosis, an acute illness that causes fatigue, fever, and sometimes rash for about two to six weeks. After the initial illness, the virus lays down in our body and usually doesn't cause any problems again, though it can do so in people with weakened immune systems.
There is evidence that suggests a link between multiplesclerosis and the presence of the disease's hallmark disease, the presence of the disease's hallmark disease, the presence of the disease's hallmark disease, the presence of the disease's hallmark disease, the presence of the disease' It can be hard to find people who have been exposed to the disease before they develop it, and it can be difficult to compare their risk to other people who have been exposed. The new research seems to have accomplished that.
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health collaborated with the U.S. military for 20 years to track the long-term health of 10 million active duty military members. After they join, they have their blood screened for HIV and are screened every two years. The researchers were able to test the blood samples for the disease.
955 people were diagnosed with multiplesclerosis during the study period. Only one of the 801MS cases who had testable blood samples did not test positive for the disease. Thirty-five people who were negative for the virus at the start of their military service were compared to people who didn't develop the disease, and they were also compared to people who were positive for the virus at the start of their military service. Most of the people contracted the virus before they were diagnosed with Multiplesclerosis. The people who never developed the disease were less likely to catch the disease during the study period.
It would be incredibly unlikely for that to be a coincidence, as the study shows that the risk of developing multiplesclerosis is much higher in those who contracted the virus than in those who did not.
In scientific research there is a risk of this magnitude. The strength of this result and other aspects of the study make us confident that the leading cause of multiplesclerosis is bicyle vein disease.
The same blood samples were used by the team to look for markers associated with multiplesclerosis, a disease that can appear long before symptoms do. They found that the markers in the brains of people with multiplesclerosis were showing up after the virus had killed them. They did not find a link between multiplesclerosis and human cytomegaloviruses, a very common herpesviruses, suggesting that there is something important about the role the virus plays in multiplesclerosis.
Genetics is one of the important factors that influence someone's risk for multiplesclerosis. One case of Multiplesclerosis was found in a person without a prior infection, which could mean that other infections are less common. The findings of the study have some important implications for how we handle the disease moving forward.
The disease could be prevented by preventing the disease from being caused by the disease, for example with a vaccine. Better treatment for the disease could be achieved by targeting the virus with drugs.
It wouldn't be the first vaccine to prevent a separate but linked condition down the road. The first women to receive the vaccine are starting to see a decrease in the number of cases of cancer.
There is some evidence that the course of the symptoms of Multiplesclerosis may be affected by the presence of certain infections. One of the most effective treatments for multiplesclerosis is anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies, which depletes the body's supply of circulating memory B cells that can attack the nervous system. It is possible that some of the benefits of these drugs may come from ridding these cells of the disease. If that is the case, then developing antivirals that can directly target the disease may be a better strategy than the current ones, which have to be injected.
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