Glandular fever and Multiple Sclerosis link more evidence found

Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis
Article Date: 22 Apr 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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The evidence that there is a link between glandular fever during childhood and a higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis is becoming more compelling, say some doctors.

A group of Canadian doctors examined 120 kids, of whom 30 had Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The children with MS had double the chance of being infected with the virus that causes glandular fever. They suggested that the virus that cause glandular fever may be a factor in MS risk and its development.
v You can read about this study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Other studies have suggested there may be a link between the Epstein-Barr virus and MS. As so many people have come down with glandular fever some time or another this has been difficult to prove.

Over 95% of us are infected with the Epstein-Barr virus by the time we reach the age of 40. More than half of us are infected with it before we reach the age of 20.

This Canadian study is the first that has tried to see what proportion of children with MS have the virus in their system.

The average age of the children in this test was 13. 30 had MS while 90 did not. The study was led by Dr. Brenda Banwell and was carried out at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.

Their studies found the 83% of the MS children had been infected with the Epstein-Barr virus, while only 42% of the healthy children had. "The results suggest an association," wrote Dr. Banwell.

WHAT IS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS?

MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS consists of the brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves. Surrounding and protecting the nerve fibers of the CNS is a fatty tissue called myelin, which helps nerve fibers conduct electrical impulses.

In MS, myelin is lost in multiple areas, leaving scar tissue called sclerosis. These damaged areas are also known as plaques or lesions. Sometimes the nerve fiber itself is damaged or broken.

Myelin not only protects nerve fibers, but makes their job possible. When myelin or the nerve fiber is destroyed or damaged, the ability of the nerves to conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain is disrupted, and this produces the various symptoms of MS.

People with MS can expect one of four clinical courses of disease, each of which might be mild, moderate, or severe.

RELAPSING-REMITTING

Characteristics:

People with this type of MS experience clearly defined flare-ups (also called relapses, attacks, or exacerbations). These are episodes of acute worsening of neurologic function. They are followed by partial or complete recovery periods (remissions) free of disease progression.

FREQUENCY

Most common form of MS at time of initial diagnosis. Approximately 85%.

PRIMARY-PROGRESSIVE

Characteristics:

People with this type of MS experience a slow but nearly continuous worsening of their disease from the onset, with no distinct relapses or remissions. However, there are variations in rates of progression over time, occasional plateaus, and temporary minor improvements.

Frequency:

Relatively rare. Approximately 10%. SECONDARY-PROGRESSIVE

Characteristics:

People with this type of MS experience an initial period of relapsing-remitting disease, followed by a steadily worsening disease course with or without occasional flare-ups, minor recoveries (remissions), or plateaus.

Frequency:

50% of people with relapsing-remitting MS developed this form of the disease within 10 years of their initial diagnosis, before introduction of the "disease-modifying" drugs. Long-term data are not yet available to demonstrate if this is significantly

delayed by treatment. PROGRESSIVE-RELAPSING

Characteristics:

People with this type of MS experience a steadily worsening disease from the onset but also have clear acute flare-ups (attacks or relapses), with or without recovery. In contrast to relapsing-remitting MS, the periods between relapses are characterized by continuing disease progression.

Frequency: Relatively rare. Approximately 5%.