Epstein Barr Virus

The world's top woman soccer player was curled up on her hotel room bed, watching gymnastics on television. The night before, she had spearheaded the United States' 3-0 victory over Brazil in Tacoma, Wash. The next afternoon, she again would help defeat the Brazilians, 4-1, in Portland, Ore. But in between, she was too weak to leave her room, too exhausted to go on a midday shopping trip with her teammates. This is what life has become for Michelle Akers.

Scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health have found that young people who have a strong immune response to the Epstein-Barr virus, the most common culprit in triggering mononucleosis, are at double the risk for developing multiple sclerosis in adulthood. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system, the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.

Erin Petrossi knows what it's like to struggle to get out of bed each morning. She knows what it takes to summon enough energy from her tired, listless body just to make it through the door. Petrossi also knows the Epstein-Barr virus that survives in her body pales in comparison to the enemy millions fight every day. "I don't have anyone in my family that has been touched by cancer," Petrossi said. "The only way I can connect is through my virus and their illness.

Erin Petrossi knows what it's like to struggle to get out of bed each morning. She knows what it takes to summon enough energy from her tired, listless body just to make it through the door. Petrossi also knows the Epstein-Barr virus that survives in her body pales in comparison to the enemy millions fight every day. "I don't have anyone in my family that has been touched by cancer," Petrossi said. "The only way I can connect is through my virus and their illness.

Researchers reported new evidence last week exonerating a virus blamed for causing the so-called "yuppie flu" but deepening the mystery surrounding the syndrome that causes debilitating fatigue. Dr. Stephen Straus and his colleagues at the National Institutes of Health found an anti-viral drug that attacks the suspected culprit, Epstein-Barr virus, did not help people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome.

The Epstein-Barr virus is often blamed for causing a chronic fatigue syndrome that bears its name. But according to two studies being published today in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., the virus appears to have nothing to do with the disorder in many cases. The studies, however, are likely to frustrate both patients and physicians. While they confirm the existence of the ailment, they shed little light on its actual cause or how to treat it.

Chronic fatigue is one of the most common complaints patients take to their doctors, but it may be associated more with anxiety or depression than with any physical disease, a study indicated. A test for detecting the virus sometimes blamed for chronic fatigue--the Epstein-Barr virus--appears of little help in determining the cause of a patient's tiredness or what the treatment should be, another study said. Both were reported in today's Journal of the American Medical Assn.

Researchers report new evidence linking a common virus to Hodgkin's disease. Nancy Mueller and her colleagues at the Harvard University School of Public Health found people whose blood contained active Epstein-Barr virus or EBV appeared much more likely to go on to develop Hodgkin's disease. Previous studies had found people who had had mononucleosis, which is caused by EBV, were at increased risk for Hodgkin's disease, a relatively unusual cancer of the lymph nodes.

It is unfortunate that the article in the Health section on Sept. 23 has added to the confusion about the Epstein-Barr virus. Although doctors have been studying the Epstein-Barr virus for years, it is only in the past months that certain researchers have tried to draw a connection between it and persistent fatigue. The feeling of fatigue that is frequently experienced by normal, healthy people can also be associated with almost any medical illness you may care to consider. For this reason, doctors consider the complaint of fatigue as "non-specific," meaning that it is not a helpful symptom in diagnosing the cause of a patient's illness.

Scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health have found that young people who have a strong immune response to the Epstein-Barr virus, the most common culprit in triggering mononucleosis, are at double the risk for developing multiple sclerosis in adulthood. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system, the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.

The world's top woman soccer player was curled up on her hotel room bed, watching gymnastics on television. The night before, she had spearheaded the United States' 3-0 victory over Brazil in Tacoma, Wash. The next afternoon, she again would help defeat the Brazilians, 4-1, in Portland, Ore. But in between, she was too weak to leave her room, too exhausted to go on a midday shopping trip with her teammates. This is what life has become for Michelle Akers.

Researchers report new evidence linking a common virus to Hodgkin's disease. Nancy Mueller and her colleagues at the Harvard University School of Public Health found people whose blood contained active Epstein-Barr virus or EBV appeared much more likely to go on to develop Hodgkin's disease. Previous studies had found people who had had mononucleosis, which is caused by EBV, were at increased risk for Hodgkin's disease, a relatively unusual cancer of the lymph nodes.

Researchers reported new evidence last week exonerating a virus blamed for causing the so-called "yuppie flu" but deepening the mystery surrounding the syndrome that causes debilitating fatigue. Dr. Stephen Straus and his colleagues at the National Institutes of Health found an anti-viral drug that attacks the suspected culprit, Epstein-Barr virus, did not help people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue is one of the most common complaints patients take to their doctors, but it may be associated more with anxiety or depression than with any physical disease, a study indicated. A test for detecting the virus sometimes blamed for chronic fatigue--the Epstein-Barr virus--appears of little help in determining the cause of a patient's tiredness or what the treatment should be, another study said. Both were reported in today's Journal of the American Medical Assn.

The Epstein-Barr virus is often blamed for causing a chronic fatigue syndrome that bears its name. But according to two studies being published today in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., the virus appears to have nothing to do with the disorder in many cases. The studies, however, are likely to frustrate both patients and physicians. While they confirm the existence of the ailment, they shed little light on its actual cause or how to treat it.

A million thanks for running your article on chronic Epstein-Barr virus ("Here's Another Illness to Worry About" by Samuel Greengard, Sept. 23). I have been disabled with this illness since July, 1979, when I, like Sonja Aiken, also could not get up from my desk at work. Within a week I was so weak that I could walk only a few feet without collapsing. My life was measured from chair to chair. And, on my bad days, it still is today. I have been very fortunate in that my family and friends have stuck staunchly by me. But what is not mentioned in your article--nor do I see mentioned anywhere in the vast literature sent to me by a CEBV support group--is a discussion of how a person is treated by the medical profession when his illness defies diagnosis.

Dr. Jay Goldstein of Anaheim Hills has spent the last five years researching and treating patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, a debilitating disease characterized by incapacitating exhaustion and a range of other perplexing symptoms. Explaining his theory of an unknown retrovirus invading the immune system, inducing cells to produce a chemical transmitter affecting the entire body, Goldstein pauses. "You know," the family practitioner says, "some very respected physicians will tell you I am crazy."