How does Epstein-Barr virus raise the risk of autoimmune disease?
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) raises the risk of autoimmune disorders, in which the immune system attacks the body’s own structures. In people with chronic autoimmune disease the virus is reactivated, and researchers now tie that EBV autoimmunity to adhesive arachnoiditis, a cause of chronic, intractable spinal pain.
Autoimmune disorders are complex to manage because the body’s immune system, which should protect various organs, starts attacking them instead. Therefore, such disorders are challenging to treat, as suppressing immunity is the only way to manage them. But, unfortunately, altering immune responses is still not entirely possible. This makes it difficult for doctors to carry out treatments for migraine headache relief as well as chronic pain treatment.
Moreover, researchers want to understand the cause of autoimmune disorders. They want to understand why immunity starts behaving in this way in some people. Unfortunately, genetics cannot fully explain the risk of chronic autoimmune diseases. Researchers have long suspected that certain viruses increase the risk of autoimmune disorders and even some cancers.
Some new studies suggest that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a virus belonging to the herpes family, which is present in the body of most people, becomes suddenly active in some individuals for reasons poorly understood. Furthermore, this sudden EBV activation apparently causes an immune response, which also increases the risk of autoimmune disorders.
Researchers now call this phenomenon “EBV autoimmunity.” Some experts say that it is the most significant cause of multiple sclerosis, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis and is also responsible for about 2% of all cancers.
How is Epstein-Barr virus linked to arachnoiditis?
Adhesive arachnoiditis (AA) has long been known as a severe inflammatory condition often causing chronic and even intractable pain. In this condition, cauda equina nerve roots in the spine become adhered to the arachnoid lining of the spinal canal due to inflammation, thus causing chronic pain and disability. Researchers have long suspected that this inflammation has something to do with autoimmunity, and now evidence is increasing in favor of this theory.
In a recent study, researchers reviewed the MRI data of 800 patients living with AA. When looking at their medical history, they noticed something interesting. They found that all of them had significant spinal disc issues before they developed AA.
However, more interesting was the finding that most of these people living with AA have suffered from one or another kind of autoimmune disorder like fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, migraine, burning mouth or feet, chronic fatigue, arthritis, and so on. Therefore, researchers concluded that AA in these individuals was a late complication of autoimmune disease.
Since studies show that there is a relationship between EBV infection and autoimmunity, they decided to test the patients living with AA for EBV. They found that most of those diagnosed with this chronic and painful condition were positive for EBV and showed signs of the reactivation of the virus. Not only that, but they also found that AA patients had a high level of antibodies against other infections often associated with autoimmunity, such as cytomegalovirus, other herpes strains, and Lyme disease.
Researchers say that there is no doubt that EBV plays an important role in the development of autoimmune disorders. However, their study now shows that AA is a late-stage complication of autoimmune diseases that occur due to EBV reactivation. Thus, EBV reactivation also plays a vital role in AA development. Hence, EBV antibodies must be tested in those living with AA and even in other conditions characterized by chronic pain or intractable pain. This will be particularly helpful in chronic pain treatment and migraine headache relief.
Frequently asked questions
What autoimmune diseases can EBV trigger?
Some experts call EBV autoimmunity the most significant cause of multiple sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, and tie it to about 2% of all cancers. In people with adhesive arachnoiditis, researchers also found a history of conditions such as fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, migraine, burning mouth or feet, chronic fatigue and arthritis, and most of them tested positive for reactivated EBV.
What triggers the Epstein-Barr virus?
No one knows exactly. EBV is a herpes-family virus that lives in the body of most people. In some, it suddenly becomes active again for reasons that are still poorly understood, and that reactivation sets off an immune response that raises the risk of autoimmune disease. Genetics alone does not explain who develops autoimmune disease, which is why researchers look hard at viruses like EBV.
Is arachnoiditis an autoimmune disease?
The evidence increasingly points that way. Adhesive arachnoiditis is inflammation that glues the cauda equina nerve roots to the lining of the spinal canal. In a review of 800 patients with it, all had significant disc problems first, and most had an autoimmune disorder. Researchers concluded that arachnoiditis in these patients is a late complication of autoimmune disease driven by EBV reactivation.
Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
