Having infectious mononucleosis, also known as mono and caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, is associated with a higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published on April 1 in Neurology Open Access.
The findings are important because MS is a serious condition that can lead to significant disability and high treatment costs. The disease often develops during people's prime working years, which can affect families and communities.
Researchers analyzed more than two decades of health care records, identifying 4,721 people who had tested positive for Epstein-Barr virus infection and had been diagnosed with mono. Each person was compared to three others of the same age and sex who did not have mono, totaling 14,163 people. Those with mono were followed for an average of six years; those without were followed for eight years. During this period, eight people with a history of mono developed MS (0.17%), compared to ten in the group without mono (0.07%). After adjusting for factors like race, ethnicity, smoking status, diabetes, depression and substance use disorders, researchers found that people who had experienced mono were three times more likely to develop MS than those who had not.
"These results highlight the need for further research into ways to prevent infection with the Epstein-Barr virus," said Jennifer L. St. Sauver, PhD of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "Preventing these infections could reduce the overall burden of MS. While MS is relatively rare, it carries the risks of significant disability and high treatment costs, and it usually develops when people are in their prime years of working and raising families." St. Sauver also said: "Mononucleosis is a relatively uncommon illness but developing strategies to prevent infection with the virus that causes this disease could help us to lower the number of MS cases in the future."
A limitation noted by researchers was that participants were only followed for six to eight years on average; some may develop MS later in life.
The study received support from ModernaTX Inc., which is working on vaccines targeting several conditions associated with Epstein-Barr virus.
