title: Vitamin D status and antibody levels to common viruses in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The relative contribution and interaction of risk factors for multiple sclerosis (MS) have not been evaluated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether vitamin D status is associated with antibody levels to common viruses in pediatric-onset MS or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) patients and controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed whether vitamin D status was associated with viral antibody levels to Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 or -2 in subjects who demonstrated evidence of remote infection with these viruses and whether these associations differed depending on disease status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 140 subjects, vitamin D status was weakly associated with antibody levels to CMV but not to the other viruses. However, there were some interactions between vitamin D status and disease state. Among those with vitamin D sufficiency (≥30 ng/ml), MS/CIS patients had higher antibody levels to Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen-1 than controls. Vitamin D sufficiency was associated with higher CMV antibody levels in MS/CIS subjects but lower CMV antibody levels in controls. Higher vitamin D levels appeared to be associated with higher titers to HSV-2 in MS/CIS patients but not controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vitamin D status may be differentially associated with antibody levels to common childhood viruses among seropositive subjects.
authors.affiliation: MS Center, Department of Neurology, University of California-San Francisco, 350 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA. ellen.mowry@ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Ellen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Mowry
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: Lauren B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Krupp
authors.forename: Emmanuelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Waubant
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002112:Calcifediol / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology; D003711:Demyelinating Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000276:immunology; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000276:immunology; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012495:San Francisco / Q000453:epidemiology; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D015415:Biomarkers; D002112:Calcifediol