MS risk enhanced by shingles, study showsRSS Feed

Spinal and brain injury caused by multiple sclerosis may be triggered by shingles in some cases, researchers have suggested.

A group of more than 300,000 adults in Taiwan with the herpes zoster virus were compared against a control group and were found to be at 3.96 times higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS).

Authors of the study from Taipei Medical University in Taiwan note that this increased risk is still relatively low.

They also point out that MS is less prevalent among Asian men compared to Western populations, which may cause difficulty when applying the results elsewhere.

Commenting on the research, National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Mexico managing director Teresa Corona explained: "The evidence provided in this study … allows us to better understand the role of these viral factors as an MS risk among certain genetically susceptible individuals."

Recent research carried out at the University of California, San Francisco suggested that low vitamin D levels among African-Americans can increase the risk of MS.

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Posted by Matthew Heap

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