Sunlight, virus and risk of Multiple Sclerosis

By Alan On April 30, 2011 · 1 Comment · In Latest news, research

The combination of a common virus and exposure to low levels of sunlight may increase the risk of MS according to new research.

Researchers at the University of Oxford studied hospital admissions in England in the seven years up to 2005 for people with MS and also people who had had glandular fever, which is caused by the Epstein Barr virus (EBV). They compared this with data on sunlight in the same period.

The study, published in the journal Neurology, reports that analysis of sunlight exposure explained 61% of the difference between high and low rates of MS across the country. The combined effect of sunlight and glandular fever meant that 72% of the variation could be explained.

There have been previous studies looking at the role of the Epstein Barr virus and deficiency in vitamin D, which is made in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight. This study is the first to look for a combined effect from these two factors.

It’s possible that vitamin D deficiency may lead to an abnormal response to the Epstein-Barr virus. More research should be done on whether increasing UVB exposure or using vitamin D supplements and possible treatments or vaccines for the Epstein-Barr virus could lead to fewer cases of MS.

Professor George Ebers, one of the researchers in the study

Further research is needed, but being able to accurately predict the risk of getting MS and identifying preventative measures would be another step forward.

Pam Macfarlane, MS Trust chief executive

Ramagopalan SV, et al.
Relationship of UV exposure to prevalence of multiple sclerosis in England.
Neurology 2011;76(16):1410-1414.