Epstein-Barr a precursor to MS
 

Just read on WebMD an article that states that EBV is found in blood samples of MS patients...
http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclero...nked-to-msents.

I don't doubt it. I believe that that's what triggered MS in me. I had Mono at 18, then Chicken Pox at 24, then Bells Palsy right after I was dx with MS at 45. Sheese.....I would have been convinced with just one of them......:rolleyes:

I had mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr virus) in 1996, and about a year or so later, started getting vertigo several times a year. I think the vertigo was my first MS symptom. I didnt get diagnosed until 2007. I thought the vertigo was from ear infections.

I'd be willing to bet that the mono is what triggered or activated the MS in my system. (I think a dental issue is what's been behind most of my exacerbations since 2006)

When I had my second opinion for the MS, they did an EBV titer on me. It was positive, so I know for sure that I had mono. (when I had mono, they misdiagnosed me at first...even tho I'd been told by my aunt, a nurse practitioner, that I should ask for a mono spot test. They refused until I had a reaction to the antibiotics they'd given me...mono and penicillin based abx's dont like each other)

Can people have mono without knowing it?
And is chicken pox a possible trigger? It is a nasty virus...I had chicken pox when I was 29 and 4 wks. pregnant. It was a bad case...lots of pox and terrible pain.
MS is such a weird disease...

yeah, I think if it's a mild case of mono, you might think you just have a really bad cold or a flu of some sort.

But, when I had mono, there was no mistaking it for a cold. I was sick for weeks. Took me nearly a year to recover. I never did feel as good as I'd felt before then. I'm pretty sure all my problems started when I got mono.

Mild mono can be confused with the flu. Mine was severe and lasted months. I was out of work and slept 20 out of 24 hours. It took me a year to recover.

I have no idea how I got chicken pox but I gave them to my 2 year old son at the time. I was very sick....had sores all over my body including on my head. I thought Mono was bad.....it was nothing compared to having Chicken Pox as an adult.

I believe that these two illnesses set me up for MS later in my life. I've had MS sx dating all the way back to 1987 when I was pregnant with my 2nd child. My first disabling "attack" was in 2003. Second disabling attack in 2005. I was dx in 2005.

Those who've never had Mono or EBV illnesses but are dx with MS.....I wonder what triggered their disease?

I'm repeating myself here, but, I say it's the Herpes 6 (?) virus, who's the culprit... It is the cause of all those illnesses...EB. Mono, Chicken Pox, Shingles...etc...

I'll bet, if they find a way to do away with that virus, most of, not all of MS would be eradicated.

Mono, MS and Shingles for me. The trifecta!
Do I win anything? Oh yeah, progressive disability and atrophy of the brain and spinal cord. :D

I'm feeling lucky, maybe I'll play the lottery. :rolleyes:

My PCP told me that "almost everybody" has a positive EBV. I'm going to do a little research on that.

I also had shingles right around the time that I got mononucleosis too.