MS May Be Sexually Transmitted - Doctor

[Guest guest]

MS May Be Sexually Transmitted - Doctor

Wed Sep 18, 7:06 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Multiple sclerosis, a common disease of the central

nervous system, could be sexually transmitted, a British scientist said

Thursday.

Dr. Hawkes, of London's Institute of Neurology, said his

analysis of published data on the illness that affects about a million

people worldwide, supports the hypothesis.

Experts however criticized his report saying there was no evidence to

support it.

" I propose that multiple sclerosis (MS) is a sexually transmitted infection

acquired principally during adolescence and mainly from infected but not

necessarily symptomatic males, " he said in a report in Journal of Neurology,

Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

Hawkes said it may not be the only cause of the neurological disorder but

some people may have an inherited susceptibility to a sexually transmitted

infectious agent.

But the chief executive of the Multiple Sclerosis Society in Britain

criticized the report, saying there is no direct evidence for sexual

transmission.

" We share the view that this is pure speculation based on interpretation of

data collected for other reasons, " the society's Mike O'Donovan said in a

statement.

Alastair Compston, a professor of neurology at Cambridge University,

described the report as having little scientific value because it contains

no new facts.

" The hypothesis falls down quickly and repeatedly in the face of known

facts, " he explained.

Hawkes said migration studies and data on clusters and epidemics support the

hypothesis. He noted that epidemics of MS like those in the Faroe Islands,

Iceland, the Orkneys and the Shetlands suggest a rise in MS cases after the

arrival of military troops.

Higher rates of MS in young, sexually active people and in cultures with

more permissive sexual attitudes and drug misusers also support the

hypothesis, according to Hawkes.

" This theory provides a testable hypothesis which could be addressed by a

case-control study of multiple sclerosis patients and their partners, " he

added.

MS is a progressive disease in which the myelin sheath that protects the

brain and spinal cord is damaged or destroyed. The illness, which is most

common in colder countries and is rare in Africa and Asia, usually occurs

between 20 and 40 years old.