SynthesisPloS one2010
An updated meta-analysis of risk of multiple sclerosis following infectious mononucleosis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 149 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
149 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 336 citations in OpenAlex.
- Repurposing Licensed Drugs with Activity Against Epstein-Barr Virus for Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Approach.CNS drugs · 2025Pooled it
- Coronavirus disease 2019 and neurodegenerative disease: what will the future bring?Current opinion in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between Epstein-Barr virus, multiple sclerosis and other risk factors.Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England) · 2020Pooled it
- Predictors of Epstein-Barr virus serostatus and implications for vaccine policy: A systematic review of the literature.Journal of global health · 2020Pooled it
- Association between alcohol consumption and multiple sclerosis: a meta-analysis of observational studies.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2015Pooled it
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of the sero-epidemiological association between Epstein-Barr virus and systemic lupus erythematosus.Arthritis research & therapy · 2014Pooled it
- Exploring the effect of vitamin DMultiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England) · 2018Trial
- Multiple Sclerosis and Viruses: « Liaisons Dangereuses ».Reviews in medical virology · 2026Review
- Interpreting Viral Associations in Neurodegenerative Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Risk of Multiple Sclerosis Among Persons with Epstein Barr Virus-Positive Mononucleosis: A Population-Based Study.Neurology open access · 2026Article
- Viral associations in multiple sclerosis: pathogenetic mechanisms and therapeutic implications.Virology journal · 2026Review
- Towards primary prevention of multiple sclerosis.Nature reviews. Neurology · 2026Review
- Transgenic mouse-derived human monoclonal antibodies targeting EBV gp350 and gp42 provide basis for therapeutic development.Cell reports. Medicine · 2026Article
- Effects of HLA-DRA, HLA-DQA1 and IL-6 Gene Variations to Glatiramer Acetate Resistance in Multiple Sclerosis Patients.Biochemical genetics · 2026Article
- Latent, Lytic, and Linked to Multiple Sclerosis-How EBV Drives Autoimmunity.European journal of immunology · 2026Review
- SARS-CoV-2 Infection Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Hospital-Treated Infectious Mononucleosis due to EBV: National Register-Based Cohort Study.Journal of medical virology · 2026Article
- Sex differences in the development, treatment, and prognosis of multiple sclerosis in Switzerland.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
- Inuit HLA variation and neuroimmune disease.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- Multiple sclerosis patients exhibit oral dysbiosis with decreased early colonizers and lower hypotaurine level.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2025Article
- The geographic association of multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Scientific reports · 2025Article
89 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMultiple sclerosis (MS) appears to develop in genetically susceptible individuals as a result of environmental exposures. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is an almost universal finding among individuals with MS. Symptomatic EBV infection as manifested by infectious mononucleosis (IM) has been shown in a previous meta-analysis to be associated with the risk of MS, however a number of much larger studies have since been published. METHODS/PRINCIPAL
findingsWe performed a Medline search to identify articles published since the original meta-analysis investigating MS risk following IM. A total of 18 articles were included in this study, including 19390 MS patients and 16007 controls. We calculated the relative risk of MS following IM using a generic inverse variance with random effects model. This showed that the risk of MS was strongly associated with IM (relative risk (RR) 2.17; 95% confidence interval 1.97-2.39; p<10(-54)). DISCUSSION: Our results establish firmly that a history of infectious mononucleosis significantly increases the risk of multiple sclerosis. Future work should focus on the mechanism of this association and interaction with other risk factors.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.