TODD, 39, AN attorney, had been active and fit his entire life. When he started feeling
extreme fatigue and unusual pains, he assumed it was a combination of approaching
middle age and parenting a rambunctious toddler during a pandemic. As his symp-
toms got worse, he pushed for more answers. Ultimately, Todd was diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis.
"My doctors have been very optimistic, but it's been hard to see it from my particular
perspective," Todd says.
However, new research released shortly after Todd's diagnosis may unlock a key
clue for future MS treatment and even prevention. In a longitudinal analysis published
in Science in January 2022, researchers found that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is
likely one cause of MS, especially in people whose EBV developed into full-blown
mononucleosis — people like Todd, whose case of mono in high school was so severe
that he was briefly hospitalized.
Could the
End of MS
Be on the
Horizon?
BY CARI WADE GERVIN
A S A NE W LONGITUDINAL
STUDY SHOWS A DEFINITIVE
CONNECTION BE T WEEN
THE EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS
AND MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS,
RESE ARCH TURNS TO
VACCINES, NE W TRE ATMENTS —
AND THE FURTHER ROOTS OF
WHAT CAUSES THE DISE A SE.
1 4
