• J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Mar 2023

    Increased cytomegalovirus immune responses at disease onset are protective in the long-term prognosis of patients with multiple sclerosis.

    • Manuel Comabella, Mar Tintore, Augusto Sao Avilés, Pere Carbonell-Mirabent, Sunny Malhotra, Alex Rovira, Nicolás Fissolo, Jan D Lünemann, and Xavier Montalban.
    • Neurology-Neuroimmunology Department, Multiple Sclerosis Centre of Catalonia, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain manuel.comabella@vhir.org.
    • J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. 2023 Mar 1; 94 (3): 173180173-180.

    ObjectiveIt remains unclear whether viral infections interfere with multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression. We evaluated the prognostic role of antibody responses toward viruses determined at disease onset on long-term disease outcomes.MethodsHumoral immune responses against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded nuclear antigen EBNA1, viral capsid antigen (VCA) and early antigen, and toward cytomegalovirus (HCMV), human herpesvirus 6 and measles were investigated in a cohort of 143 patients with MS for their association with long-term disability and inflammation disease outcomes.ResultsMedian (IQR) follow-up was 20 (17.2-22.8) years. In univariable analysis, increased HCMV levels were associated with a lower risk to Expanded Disability Status Scale 4.0 (HR 0.95; 95% CI 0.91 to 0.99; p=0.03), to develop a secondary progressive MS (HR 0.94; 95% CI 0.90 to 0.99; p=0.02) and to first-line treatment (HR 0.98; 95% CI 0.96 to 0.99; p=0.04). High HCMV IgG levels were associated with a longer time to first-line treatment (p=0.01). Increased immune responses against EBV-VCA were associated with higher risk for first-line (HR 1.45; 95% CI 1.12 to 1.88; p=0.005) and second-line treatments (HR 2.03; 95% CI 1.18 to 3.49; p=0.01), and high VCA IgG levels were associated with shorter time to first-line (p=0.004) and second-line (p=0.02) therapies. EBNA1-specific IgG levels correlated with disease severity (0.17; p=0.04) and with an increased relapse rate during follow-up (relapse rate 1.26; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.56; p=0.02) that remained stable in multivariable analysis.ConclusionsThese results indicate that elevated immune responses against HCMV at disease onset have protective effects on long-term disability and inflammation disease outcomes. Our data also indicate that increased immune responses against EBV in early phases may influence long-term disease prognosis.© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

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