Source MS Trust: New research has provided the strongest evidence yet that infection with the Epstein Barr virus (EBV) acts as a trigger for people to develop MS.

Researchers in the United States made use of a series of blood samples collected from more than 10 million military personnel. They determined EBV status at the time the first sample was taken and then followed additional samples to explore the relationship between EBV infection and MS onset. People infected with EBV had a 32-fold increased risk of developing MS.

They also measured blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a substance released into the spinal fluid and blood when nerves are damaged by MS activity. In people with MS who were EBV negative at the beginning of the study, there was no indication of elevated NfL until they were infected with EBV. After infection, elevated levels of NfL were detected before MS was diagnosed. Increased NfL levels were seen only in people who became infected with EBV and later developed MS.

The study did not investigate whether EBV is involved in ongoing MS activity (for example triggering relapses or progression) in people who already have established MS.

About Epstein Barr virus

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a very common virus. Up to 95% of all adults will have been exposed to EBV, but most of them will not notice any symptoms or ill health. Some people will have a more serious infection which causes glandular fever (infectious mononucleosis). Modern detection methods show that practically everyone with MS has previously had EBV infection.

EBV has been suggested as a possible trigger for MS for some years, and this research adds further support to this theory. Most people will have been infected with EBV during childhood, so the real mystery is why the infection should lead to MS in only a few cases. The most widely held view is that a combination of risk factors are involved, including an underlying genetic susceptibility, lifestyle (smoking, diet, obesity), and environment (sun exposure, pollution). Understanding how EBV interacts with other factors to cause MS may ultimately lead to a treatment which prevents MS. A vaccine against EBV is currently in early-stage clinical trials.

Bjornevik K, et al.
Longitudinal analysis reveals high prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus associated with multiple sclerosis.
Science. 2022 Jan 21. doi: 10.1126/science.abj8222. Epub ahead of print.
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Join MS-UK for their last online information session of the year on Monday 20 December at 2pm. Dr Gretchen will be showing how to use seated positions for exercise as an advantage and making it a challenging alternative to standing. Sounds the perfect accompaniment to our seated classes!

It will focus on seated exercises, demonstrating how using a seated position to practice exercises can be a good alternative to standing. The session is for everyone, so whether you want to add variation to your current exercise routine and perform some new challenging exercises from sitting or you are a wheelchair user and want to know some great exercises to work the core and upper body, then please join us for this session. 

Dr Gretchen will first start the session by explaining the different positions you can exercise in when sitting. The purpose of this is to demonstrate the many options available to you that is not just the typical position of standing but using the position of sitting as an advantage rather than a compromise. Most people think standing is the best position for exercise, but that’s not necessarily true! 

Secondly, Dr Gretchen will talk about why you would want to perform exercises in a seated position (i.e. improved quality of movement, reduced or increased level of difficulty, reduced pain and discomfort). They will also talk about how to position yourself for success for seated exercises (i.e. sitting up tall vs. reclined) and how changing your body position can get better results.

Dr Gretchen will then run through different seated exercises that will work on core strength, cardiovascular fitness, upper body strength and also lower body exercises.

Session overview

• Exercise positions –standing vs sitting positions
• When and how to adapt – reducing / increasing the difficulty
• Seated exercise demonstrations – types of exercise

The session will finish with time for questions and answers with Dr Gretchen.

Find out more and sign up at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/seated-exercise-getting-the-best-from-exe…. If you need help registering, contact MS-UK by emailing register@ms-uk.org.

Click here to find out more 

How could DWP improve health assessments for PIP and ESA? We are sure there are some strong opinions on this! MPs want to hear your experiences of applying for PIP and ESA. There is more information about the survey by clicking here .  

This survey is for people who have had an assessment to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and/or people who have had a Work Capability Assessment to claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or as part of a Universal Credit claim. You don’t have to be claiming either benefit at the moment, and you can still fill in the survey if your claim wasn’t successful.You can share your thoughts here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx.

The government has announced that people with MS in the UK will be eligible for one of two new treatments if they catch COVID-19. Currently, treatments are only available for people already in hospital.

This is taken from the MS Society website:

We have several vaccines doing an incredible job protecting people from COVID-19. But we can’t rely on vaccines alone because they’re not 100% effective. We also need treatments to stop people getting seriously ill if they catch COVID-19.

What are the new COVID-19 treatments?

Two treatments will be available – molnupiravir and Ronapreve. Both have been tested in clinical trials with “at risk” people experiencing mild to moderate symptoms. They work in different ways.

Molnupiravir (brand name Lagevrio)

• Molnupiravir is an antiviral treatment. Viruses work by making lots of copies of themselves inside your body. An antiviral treatment targets the virus at an early stage, making it harder for it to make copies of itself. This lowers the level of virus circulating in your body.
• Another antiviral treatment already available is remdesivir. This is available for people hospitalised with COVID-19, but only on a very limited basis.

Ronapreve (drug names casirivimab and imdevimab)

• Ronapreve is an antibody treatment. Antibodies are molecules that our immune system makes. The antibodies recognise and neutralise threats.
• Ronapreve contains two antibodies developed in the lab which mimic our natural antibodies.
• The antibodies in Ronapreve target the virus. They attach themselves to the virus and stop it from infecting our cells.
• Ronapreve is available for people in hospital with COVID-19 without COVID-19 antibodies.

Find out more at https://www.mssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/news/ms-and-covid-19-two-new-tre.