Exciting Confirmation of our Therapeutic Method: EBV as a Cause or Trigger of Multiple Sclerosis
EBV virus as a trigger for Multiple Sclerosis
More information and a list of therapists from the Medical Society for Micro-Immunotherapy: www.megemit.org/mikroimmuntherapie/
A connection between the Epstein-Barr virus and the autoimmune disease Multiple Sclerosis has long been suspected. Now, a new study provides “compelling evidence.”
According to a new study, the autoimmune disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is very likely triggered by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The study, published in the US journal “Science,” provides “compelling evidence” for the long-suspected link for the first time, explained Harvard Professor and lead author of the study, Alberto Ascherio. Accordingly, the probability of developing MS after an EBV infection increases 32-fold.
For the study, Ascherio’s team observed more than ten million young members of the U.S. Army for 20 years. Of these, 955 were diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis during their service. The researchers analyzed blood samples, taken every two years, and determined the soldiers’ EBV status. The probability of developing MS did not increase due to other viruses.
The herpesvirus also causes infectious mononucleosis.
EBV is a herpesvirus that also causes infectious mononucleosis and remains in the host for life. Globally, about 95% of all adults become infected during their lifetime. The hypothesis that the pathogen is a cause of the autoimmune disease has been investigated for years, but it has been difficult to prove because the virus is so common and MS symptoms often only appear years after infection.
Furthermore, an EBV infection does not necessarily lead to MS, as the Harvard study also shows. According to researchers at Stanford University, who commented on their Harvard colleagues’ study in the journal “Science,” other factors, such as genetic ones, could play a role in whether the disease develops or not.
Ascherio views the demonstration of a link between EBV and MS as an “important step” for the prevention and treatment of the disease: “An EBV vaccine or targeted treatment with EBV-specific antiviral drugs could ultimately prevent or cure MS.”
Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that often severely attacks the immune system and is the most common cause of disability in young adults. The disease progresses in relapses and varies greatly from patient to patient. Globally, approximately 2.8 million people are affected. Last week, the US pharmaceutical company Moderna announced the start of human clinical trials for a vaccine against the Epstein-Barr virus.
Original study: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abj8222