Does EBV cause MS?

[palmtree]

I read about that, too. It makes so much sense. In 1989 I hugged a woman who had Epstein Barr virus. I remember thinking I might get MS. There was something about the fatigue that she was suffering that is so similar to what I live with daily right now.

They have got to do more research. This is the kind of thing that research money should be devoted to instead of coming up with more healthcare system breaking disease “modifying” treatments.

It’s scary, too. If it comes out in the news that MS is contagious we will become lepers. Not even our beloved family will want to risk being around us.

[gargantua]

It’s scary, too. If it comes out in the news that MS is contagious we will become lepers. Not even our beloved family will want to risk being around us.

I don't think it's been proven that everyone who has been exposed to EBV gets MS. I don't see this thread implying that, at all. Am I wrong?

[Myoak]

I read about that, too. It makes so much sense. In 1989 I hugged a woman who had Epstein Barr virus. I remember thinking I might get MS. There was something about the fatigue that she was suffering that is so similar to what I live with daily right now.

They have got to do more research. This is the kind of thing that research money should be devoted to instead of coming up with more healthcare system breaking disease “modifying” treatments.

It’s scary, too. If it comes out in the news that MS is contagious we will become lepers. Not even our beloved family will want to risk being around us.

Dear Palmtree,

Over 90% of the the US population has EBV. So out of 330 million people more than 307 million have EBV. About 1 million of those have MS, therefore, far less than 1% of those with EBV have MS.

MS is not contagious nor is it directly inherited.

The meta-analysis I posted analyzed over 3000 people with MS and 4000 people without MS.

After refining the data it found EBV in 100% of those with MS and in 100% of those without EBV no MS was found.

So, according to that data EBV is present in everyone who has MS.

But we know EBV alone does not cause MS because if it did 307 million people in the US would have MS, not 1 million.

Even though the study concluded that each person with MS has EBV, other factors, some known and some unknown, contribute to MS developing.

Again, MS is not contagious nor is it directly inherited.

So you were perfectly safe in hugging your friend and it was a good thing to do. Love is such a creative, powerful emotion. This morning I listened to Bob Dylan's song... To Make You Feel My Love sung by Garth Brooks at CMA in 1999. This song touches the soul more than a warm hug from a good friend so please give it a chance whatever your taste in music may be; enjoy it and keeping hugging, Palmtree...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FlSP0wsF5U