الفهرس 
DEFINITION OF MSOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Background and Purpose: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune illness of the central nervous system is considered the most common non-traumatic cause of neurological disability in middle-aged people, numerous techniques have been used to investigate the possible association between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and MS. This study aims to detect the possible association of EBV as a risk factor of MS Disease in a sample of Egyptian patient and its effect on the clinical and radiological features of the disease.
Methods: Eighty six Egyptian patients were included in our sample from MS Unit, Neurology department at Ain Shams University Hospital with RRMS type and sixty four healthy controls matching the patients in age and sex were added to the study for correlations. Patients’ medical history, general and neurological examination including assessment of MS according to the Revised McDonald criteria for MS diagnosis and functional disability using Expended Disability Status Scale (EDSS) were assessed at admission, all subjects undergo serum sampling for detection of anti EBV IgG using ELISA technique.
Results: Highly significant correlation in the IgG response of RRMS patients to antigen of EBV compared to that of normal controls (P-value <0.001) was detected. Other clinical determants for MS course and progression showd that a high significant association between Duration of illness of MS and the presence of EBV IgG in serum (p-value = 0.024) & a significant associatian between the total number of relapses and presence of EBV IgG in serum (P value= 0.026) and a highly significant associatian between the EDSS score and presence of EBV IgG in serum (P value= 0.0001). Towards EBV Abs titre there was a significant Correlation between EBV antibody titre and the duration of illness (P-value= 0.014).
Conclusion: Our data together with earlier reports strengthens the hypothesis that EBV infection or the immune response to EBV antigens have a potential role in pathogenesis of MS illness and progression of the disease as regards (the increase in number of relapses and EDSS score). Awareness of this relation between MS and EBV infection might improve early diagnosis of MS and improve researches for curative treatment