Concussion is associated with multiple sclerosis if it occurs before infectious mononucleosis.
Concussion before, but not after, infectious mononucleosis linked to higher multiple sclerosis risk
Concussion is associated with multiple sclerosis if it occurs before infectious mononucleosis.
If Epstein-Barr virus is essential for multiple sclerosis (multiple sclerosis) pathogenesis, there may be differences in multiple sclerosis risk for auxiliary exposures that occur before or after Epstein-Barr virus infection.
In this cohort, between ages 11 and 20 years, there were 1474 episodes of concussion before infectious mononucleosis and 1171 occurring afterwards.
concussion before mono raised multiple sclerosis risk; after mono, no effect
The objective here was to examine if concussion before or after infectious mononucleosis during adolescence is differently associated with multiple sclerosis risk.
Using national Swedish health registers, among those born from 1980 with follow-up to 2023, we identified a cohort with infectious mononucleosis between ages 11 and 20 years among people without a demyelinating disease diagnosis by age 20 years ( n = 37 432), among whom 174 had a subsequent multiple sclerosis diagnosis.
Our findings suggest that changes in the environment of the CNS caused by concussion facilitate development of multiple sclerosis if present before primary Epstein-Barr virus infection.