Common childhood and adolescent infections and multiple sclerosis
Citation Manager Formats
Make Comment
See Comments
![Loading Loading](https://n.neurology.org/sites/all/modules/contrib/panels_ajax_tab/images/loading.gif)
This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
Infectious agents are among the most frequently studied and biologically plausible putative environmental factors related to multiple sclerosis (MS). The infectious hypothesis, first postulated at the end of the nineteenth century,1 has arisen from epidemiologic studies on incidence pattern and on migrants and from evidence of possible clusters.
While the occurrence of true clusters is still debated, the existence of a temporal trend, both decreasing and increasing, in several countries strongly supports the view that the heterogeneity of the temporal distribution could be linked to the influence of exogenous factors and, moreover, provide clues to the characteristics of the unknown and probably multiple etiologic factors that influence the appearance of MS in genetically prone subjects. These exogenous agents may modify their concentration and aggressiveness over time. Such characteristics are indicative of infectious agents.2,3
Another important etiologic clue in favor of the environmental hypothesis comes from migrant studies. Evaluating the results of this kind of investigation, however, requires taking into account several limitations. For example, the migrants may not be representative of the population origin in social class, age, or general health, and they may not be comparable with the native-born people of the host country. Further, the relatively small sample size of the studies and ambiguous methodologic strategies need to be considered when evaluating migrant studies.4,5 Nevertheless, the results seem to suggest that migration between areas could affect the risk of acquiring MS and indicate the existence of a critical age before puberty for exposure to putative environmental factors; more recent studies have suggested a larger susceptibility age interval with maximal clustering at age 13 to 20.6 On the other hand, the existence of very late onset of the disease is not completely in agreement with the postulated susceptibility age between infancy and adolescence, unless an …
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
For assistance, please contact:
AAN Members (800) 879-1960 or (612) 928-6000 (International)
Non-AAN Member subscribers (800) 638-3030 or (301) 223-2300 option 3, select 1 (international)
Sign Up
Information on how to subscribe to Neurology and Neurology: Clinical Practice can be found here
Purchase
Individual access to articles is available through the Add to Cart option on the article page. Access for 1 day (from the computer you are currently using) is US$ 39.00. Pay-per-view content is for the use of the payee only, and content may not be further distributed by print or electronic means. The payee may view, download, and/or print the article for his/her personal, scholarly, research, and educational use. Distributing copies (electronic or otherwise) of the article is not allowed.
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that your Disclosures have been updated within the previous six months. Please go to our Submission Site to add or update your Disclosure information.
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
You May Also be Interested in
Dr. Dennis Bourdette and Dr. Lindsey Wooliscroft
► Watch
Related Articles
- No related articles found.
Alert Me
Recommended articles
-
Part II: A Multicenter Study
Methodologic experience from a multicenter case-control study in ItalyEnrico Granieri, Ilaria Casetta, Maria Rosaria Tola et al.Neurology, August 01, 1997 -
Articles
Childhood sun exposure influences risk of multiple sclerosis in monozygotic twinsTalat Islam, W. James Gauderman, Wendy Cozen et al.Neurology, July 23, 2007 -
Part I: Methodology
Case-control studies in multiple sclerosisChristina Wolfson, Enrico Granieri, Klaus Lauer et al.Neurology, August 01, 1997 -
Articles
Intrathecal EBV antibodies are part of the polyspecific immune response in multiple sclerosisC. Otto, A. Oltmann, A. Stein et al.Neurology, April 11, 2011