Epidemiological investigation of the association between infectious mononucleosis and multiple sclerosis

Neuroepidemiology. 1991;10(2):62-5. doi: 10.1159/000110248.

Abstract

By matching a cohort of 494 infectious mononucleosis (IM) cases with a multiple sclerosis (MS) register, 3 MS cases were retrieved. The interval between IM and MS was 12 years. This corresponds to a relative risk of 3.7 for MS to occur subsequent to IM (p = 0.05). This relationship between a manifestation of a relatively late Epstein-Barr virus infection and MS may indicate that a microbiologically shielded environment is important in the pathogenesis of MS.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cohort Studies
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Infant
  • Infectious Mononucleosis / complications
  • Infectious Mononucleosis / epidemiology*
  • Multiple Sclerosis / epidemiology*
  • Multiple Sclerosis / etiology
  • Risk Factors
  • Sweden / epidemiology