By Alexandre Mignon (professor of medicine, intensive care specialist at Bichat Hospital)
Posted Feb 11 2022 at 14:00Updated Feb 11. 2022 at 02:27 PM
Multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating disease of the nervous system diagnosed in France in 2,500 new people per year, and which affects around 100,000, mostly young women. The myelin which surrounds the nerve fibers and which allows the transmission of nerve impulses is destroyed by an immune process which can be triggered by a viral infection.
Among the suspects, the main one is the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) of the herpes family, present in more than 90% of adults. The infection occurs most often during childhood, without clinical signs. In adolescents, the primary infection can manifest as infectious mononucleosis (kissing disease) which heals spontaneously.
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