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Woman living with multiple sclerosis for 20 years says latest research offers hope for answers – CBC.ca

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2 years ago

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The news that the Epstein-Barr virus plays a role in triggering multiple sclerosis has brought “reassurance” to Allison Markin, who has been living with the condition for two decades. 

“It potentially answers the question that I’ve had for almost 20 years: Why did I get MS? [And] how did I get it?” said Markin, who lives in Penticton, B.C. 

“When you are diagnosed with any illness … you wonder, what did I do? Did I do something wrong? Did I eat something wrong? Did I hurt myself?” she told The Current’s Matt Galloway. 

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Markin was diagnosed with MS in 2003, a potentially disabling disease where immune system cells attack the protective coating on nerve fibres. She’s heard many theories about what triggers the condition — including a suggestion, offered by a naturopath when she was first diagnosed, that a nerve was damaged when she had a wisdom tooth removed.

But last week, Harvard University researchers presented a large-scale study that they say provides compelling evidence of a causal association between MS and Epstein-Barr (EBV). This type of herpes virus is widespread in humans, but the researchers say their findings strongly suggest it sets some people on the path to developing MS.

If it was a virus and that’s no fault of mine or anybody else’s, that gives me a little bit of comfort, frankly– Allison Markin

Markin had Epstein-Barr 10 years before her MS diagnosis.

“If it was a virus and that’s no fault of mine or anybody else’s, that gives me a little bit of comfort, quite frankly,” Markin said.

The Harvard study accessed blood samples stored from more than 10 million people in the U.S. military, taken between 1993 and 2013. Recruits who did not show signs of previous EBV infection were tracked, with a subsequent comparison between those who later developed MS, and those who did not. 

Only one of 801 MS patients did not show evidence of prior EBV infection, and researchers said they found no evidence that other viral infections played a role.

The link between EBV and MS has long been suspected among researchers, but Toronto physician Dr. Jiwon Oh said the Harvard research puts that speculation to rest. 

“Because of the size of this study and how long that these people were followed over time, this has given us really strong evidence showing that there likely is a causal link,” said Oh, medical director of the Barlo Multiple Sclerosis Program at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

Dr. Jiwon Oh is medical director of the Barlo Multiple Sclerosis Program at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. (Oliver Walters/CBC)

But while EBV affects almost 90 per cent of the human population, the infection does not mean a patient will definitely develop MS. Figures from the MS Society of Canada suggest an estimated 90,000 Canadians are living with the disease, or one in every 400 people.

“It’s probably a combination of many things, including genetics, as well as potentially other environmental factors that all come together with having had an Epstein-Barr virus [infection],” Oh said.

Disease is like a ‘part-time job’

Markin said her MS affects her vision, and brings numbness in her hands. It also leaves some of her muscles weak, and affects her ability to walk.

But the symptoms vary day to day, so each morning she does a “systems check,” to figure out how much she’ll be able to do that day.

“It’s been part of my identity for 20 years, and it’s easier for me to think of it as a part-time job,” she said.

“I live with it, I manage it and I continue with my life.”

The Epstein-Barr virus, which infects most people at some point in their life, as seen through an electron microscope. Researchers have linked the virus to the later development of multiple sclerosis. (Linda Bartlett/National Cancer Institute)

That involves “figuring out what helps me, what makes me feel better, what may trigger inflammation,” she said. She also consults with her health-care team about what treatments are available “to manage my symptoms better than the day before.”

Oh said the Harvard study’s findings probably won’t have an immediate impact on existing treatments for MS, but she doesn’t want people to think the research won’t contribute in the long run. 

It may be used to help draw support for additional studies, she said, as well as “fuel, number one, the development of an EBV vaccine.”

Some research to develop Epstein-Barr vaccines is already underway, including a small study just started by Moderna.

Oh thinks the research will speed up the vaccine development time frame, but warned that “good science and good therapeutics take time” — possibly “many, many years.”

Markin said the idea that we will one day be able to stop people from developing MS is “very exciting.”

“But the hope for me is that someone who might be going through symptoms — today, tomorrow, next year — will get better answers than I did when I was first diagnosed,” she said.

Written by Padraig Moran, with files from the Associated Press. Produced by Julie Crysler, Matt Meuse and Ryan Chatterjee. 

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April 22nd to 30th is Immunization Awareness Week – Oldies 107.7

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6 hours ago

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April 24, 2024

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<!–April 22nd to 30th is Immunization Awareness Week | Oldies 107.7

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AHS confirms case of measles in Edmonton – CityNews Edmonton

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7 hours ago

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April 24, 2024

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Alberta Health Services (AHS) has confirmed a case of measles in Edmonton, and is advising the public that the individual was out in public while infectious.

Measles is an extremely contagious disease that is spread easily through the air, and can only be prevented through immunization.

AHS says individuals who were in the following locations during the specified dates and times, may have been exposed to measles.

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  • April 16
    • Edmonton International Airport, international arrivals and baggage claim area — between 3:20 p.m. and 6 p.m.
  • April 20
    • Stollery Children’s Hospital Emergency Department — between 5 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • April 22
    • 66th Medical Clinic (13635 66 St NW Edmonton) — between 12:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
    • Pharmacy 66 (13637 66 St NW Edmonton) — between 12:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
  • April 23
    • Stollery Children’s Hospital Emergency Department — between 4:40 a.m. to 9:33 a.m.

AHS says anyone who attended those locations during those times is at risk of developing measles if they’ve not had two documented doses of measles-containing vaccine.

Those who have not had two doses, who are pregnant, under one year of age, or have a weakened immune system are at greatest risk of getting measles and should contact Health Link at 1-877-720-0707.

Symptoms

Symptoms of measles include a fever of 38.3° C or higher, cough, runny nose, and/or red eyes, a red blotchy rash that appears three to seven days after fever starts, beginning behind the ears and on the face and spreading down the body and then to the arms and legs.

If you have any of these symptoms stay home and call Health Link.

In Alberta, measles vaccine is offered, free of charge, through Alberta’s publicly funded immunization program. Children in Alberta typically receive their first dose of measles vaccine at 12 months of age, and their second dose at 18 months of age.

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U.S. tightens rules for dairy cows a day after bird flu virus fragments found in pasteurized milk samples – Toronto Star

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8 hours ago

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April 24, 2024

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Infected cows were already prohibited from being transported out of state, but that was based on the physical characteristics of the milk, which looks curdled when a cow is infected, or a cow has decreased lactation or low appetite, both symptoms of infection.

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