Cytomegalovirus and varicella zoster virus seropositivity of Iranian patients with multiple sclerosis: A population-based study

Abstract

Multiple Sclerosis is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) affecting young individuals with age range of 20-40 years of age. The precise mechanism underlying the disease is still unclear. Some viruses have been proposed to play roles in disease causation. In this study, we recruited 800 MS patients along with 1000 healthy individuals to determine the seropositivity of anti-CMV and anti-VZV IgG titers using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Our results showed significant higher titers of anti-CMV and anti-VZV IgG titers in serum of MS patients with respect to healthy individuals (for both p < 0.001). It seems that CMV and VZV play a key role in MS pathogenesis.