Abstract

TORCH infections susceptibility in Iraqi Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Author(s):Fadwa Ghassan, Wassan Abdul Kareem and Thamer Mutlag Jasim

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system. Several disease-modifying therapies have been shown to ameliorate the disease course; however, the individual treatment response and the occurrence of adverse events remain highly unpredictable. In the last 2 decades, a multitude of studies have aimed to identify biomarkers that enable treatment allocation in the individual patient or subgroup of patients with regard to treatment efficacy and safety profile. To investigate the TORCH infection susceptibility and tin patients with multiple sclerosis. Thirty Iraqi newly diagnosed patients with MS and follow them after one month of treatment ( Beta interferon inj. I inj./ week) and compare the results with 20 healthy control. . Females patients(pre treatment group) showed was a highly significant difference(p<0.0001) when compared to control,while in male patients, no significant difference was noticed when compared to control(p>0.05). Rubella percent of infection, the female patients(pre-treatment group) was highly significant difference(p<0.0001) when compared to control as well as, in male patients ,a significant difference was noticed when compared to control(p<0.0001).CMV infection, the female patients(pre-treatment group) was highly significant difference(p<0.0001) when compared to control, table(3) also, in male patients, a significant difference was noticed when compared to control(p<0.0001). The resule of the study showed a possible association between CMV infection and MS. Further experimental and epidemiological studies using case-control approaches are needed to confirm this association.Various additional observations also indicate a protective effect of CMV on autoimmune diseases. CMV immune evasion may mitigate the autoimmune reactions and proinflammatory milieu that contribute to MS.

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