Latest news with #Epstein–Barrvirus
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Health
- Newsweek
Common Virus Found To Increase Cancer Risk
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Those who have a specific antibody that is produced following infection from a common virus may be at greater risk of developing certain cancers, a new study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has found. Individuals who test positive for Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) capsid antigen (VCA-IgA) antibodies were found to have a higher risk of developing cancers such as lung cancer, liver cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma and lymphoma, according to a study shared by IARC with Newsweek. Newsweek has contacted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) via email for comment. What Is Epstein-Barr Virus? The Epstein-Barr virus is one of the most common and persistent human viruses in the world, according to the CDC, and is member of the herpes virus family. EBV infects approximately 95 percent of the global population, the IARC said. It is the usual cause of infectious mononucleosis, otherwise known as "mono"—a contagious disease common among teens and adults that is usually spread through saliva, so by kissing or sharing drinks and food. After an individual is infected with EBV, the virus becomes inactive in their body, but may reactivate in some cases, with the potential for symptoms to resurface. "It's a latent virus that resides inside of certain cells," Dr. Henry Balfour Jr., a professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, told Newsweek. "So, when your immune system is challenged, let's say you get a flu shot or COVID, you're likely to see reactivation of EBV," he said. Usual symptoms of EBV include fatigue, fever, inflamed throat, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, an enlarged spleen and swollen liver, as well as others. The virus was previously classified as carcinogenic to humans, in the IARC's highest risk category (Group 1), in 1997. To date, it has been directly linked to a few specific types of cancer, with studies estimating EBV-related cases accounted for between 239,700 to 357,900 new cases of certain cancers in 2020. EBV has also been linked with rare diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic and autoimmune neurological disorder, Lawrence Steinman, a professor of neurology and neurological sciences, and pediatrics at Stanford University, told Newsweek. He also said that EBV, as a virus, may "trigger cancer itself," but that the antibodies one gets from EBV infection, may actually fight against certain cancers. "In fact, strengthening the immune response to EBV is a way that the immune system fights the virus, and in doing so helps kill the cancer or attenuate its spread," he said. "The trade off comes with developing an autoimmune response to self proteins that may be contained in the cancer." File photo: a computer illustration of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). File photo: a computer illustration of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Dr_Microbe/Getty Images What Did The Study Find? The IARC study evaluated the cancer risk in two cohorts in Southern China of just under 74,000 adults. Over the course of around eight to 10 years, 964 cases of cancer were identified in the Zhongshan cohort and 1,026 in the Wuzhou cohort. Researchers found that those who tested positive for EBV VCA-IgA antibodies were nearly five times as likely to develop cancer compared with individuals who tested negative. There were also higher risks of developing certain cancers—for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, EBV VCA-IgA antibody positive individuals were found to be 26 times as likely to develop the disease. Meanwhile, for lung cancer, they were 1.76 times as likely to develop the disease, for liver cancer, they were 1.70 times as likely to, and for lymphoma, they were 3.20 times as likely to. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a type of cancer affecting the part of the throat that connects the back of the nose to the back of the mouth, had the highest risk among the cancer types investigated. Authors of the study noted there was an increased cancer risk associated with higher levels of EBV VCA-IgA antibodies—an elevated risk that persisted even up to 10 years before diagnosis, which the IARC said suggested that EBV infection "may play a long-term role in cancer development." Overall, the study estimated that 7.8 percent of the total cancer burden in Southern China could be attributed to EBV VCA-IgA antibody positivity in individuals. Are Experts Concerned? "I am not concerned about this finding," Luis Schang, a professor of chemical virology at Cornell University, told Newsweek, because it has been "long known" that EBV is associated with certain cancers. "The major contribution of this study is linking the increase in cancer risk to likely reactivation," he said. Before this study, he said that it would be argued the risk of developing cancer was "independent" of virus reactivation. Schang said that the study could also indicate that "antiviral, or vaccine, suppressive treatment could have a protective effect against the cancers produced by EBV." Antiviral treatment can "inhibit" virus reactivation, Schang said, although it is still "extremely challenging" to treat, as the virus persists in human cells for a prolonged period. He added that a vaccine that "could elicit strong immune responses" to curtail reactivation at early stages, potentially having an impact oncogenesis, the process where cells are transformed into cancer cells. While the findings are notable, experts told Newsweek that more research still needs to be done on the issue. "Most people, almost everybody who is infected with EBV, doesn't get cancer and doesn't get multiple sclerosis, so there's something else going on," Balfour Jr said. He said that there is evidence of the effects of EBV, and its potential to cause long-term chronic diseases like cancer or autoimmune diseases, being "specific to geographical area and possibly the socioeconomic status of the people." While it is not yet clear why this is the case, he said that "over and over again, socioeconomic status and race ethnicity are associated with the prevalence of EBV." As a result, "I would be cautious in interpreting these findings to be of any concern to people in the U.S. - depending on your age and your socioeconomic status, about 90 percent of young adults and adults are positive for EBV and almost all of them are not going to get cancers or autoimmune diseases such as MS," Balfour said.
Time Magazine
16-06-2025
- Health
- Time Magazine
Erin Moriarty Has Graves' Disease. What to Know About the Condition
Erin Moriarty—an actress known for her role as Annie January on the Amazon Prime Video show The Boys —recently announced on Instagram that she has Graves' disease. While Moriarty, 30, didn't share exactly what led to her diagnosis, she noted that she initially brushed off her symptoms: 'If I hadn't chalked it all up to stress and fatigue, I would've caught this sooner,' she wrote, urging her followers to pay close attention to their own health. 'Don't 'suck it up' and transcend suffering; you deserve to be comfy.' What exactly is Graves' disease? We asked experts how the condition shows up and what managing it looks like. What is Graves' disease? Graves' disease—which affects about 1% of people in the U.S.—is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when the thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone. 'Your immune system attacks your thyroid gland and causes it to overproduce thyroid hormone, which we all need at normal amounts,' says Dr. Stelios Mantis, an endocrinologist at Rush University System for Health. 'But at excessive amounts—which is what happens when it's being overproduced in Graves disease—it can cause some ill effects.' Patients often ask Dr. Ossama Lashin, medical director of the thyroid center at the Cleveland Clinic, why they got Graves' disease. Research suggests there's a genetic predisposition; there are also environmental factors that could play a role, including a history of certain viral or bacterial infections (like Epstein–Barr virus), having too much or little iodine, and some medications. Gender makes a difference, too: 'It's more prevalent in women—five to 10 times more common, depending which studies you're referring to,' he says. And while it can show up at any age, people are often diagnosed in their 30s to 50s. What kind of symptoms can it cause? When people have too much thyroid hormone, it makes everything in their body 'go fast,' says Dr. Charit Taneja, an endocrinologist with Northwell Health. 'People will come in with heart palpitations or feeling like their heart is beating really fast,' he says. 'They might be shaking or trembling, or feeling restless and anxious'—sometimes to the point that they can't sleep at night. Patients often describe feeling unusually hot and sweating excessively. They also might have unintentionally dropped pounds, even though they're so hungry that they're eating more than usual, because their overactive thyroid is causing their body to burn a lot of calories. 'It's hard to miss—the majority of patients feel that something is wrong, like, 'This is not me,'' Lashin says. ''I can't sleep, my heart is racing, I'm sweating a lot, I'm losing weight for no reason, and I haven't changed anything.'' People with an overactive thyroid tend to seek care 'sooner than somebody with an under-active thyroid, where it wouldn't have such marked symptoms." There might be physical changes, too. Some people develop an enlarged thyroid in their neck, also called a goiter. 'The gland may grow in size, so people may notice swelling at the bottom part of their neck,' Lashin says. 'That doesn't happen for everybody, and it happens at varying degrees.' That's a sentiment Moriarty echoed in her post. 'Autoimmune disease manifests differently in everybody/every body,' she wrote. 'Your experience will be different from mine. My experience will be different from yours. Perhaps greatly, perhaps minutely.' How is Graves' disease diagnosed? Graves' is typically diagnosed through a combination of blood tests, a physical exam, and, occasionally, a thyroid scan. Doctors look for low thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and high thyroid hormone levels (T3 and T4). 'The slam-dunk one would be thyroid-stimulating antibodies'—like thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin, or TSIs—'being positive,' Mantis says. Some patients undergo a radioactive iodine uptake and scan, which can definitively diagnose Graves' disease. But it's more invasive, he adds, and not always necessary. Most doctors rely on blood work and a 'good, thorough physical exam' to determine that someone has Graves'. A rare but serious complication About 1 in 3 people with Graves' disease develop eye problems, and in the most serious cases, that can mean thyroid eye disease. Though it's commonly associated with Graves' disease, it can also occur with other autoimmune diseases when the immune system mistakenly attacks the soft tissue behind the eyes, leading to inflammation and bulging of the eye. 'It's very visible,' Taneja says. 'We call it proptosis, meaning your eyes are bulging forward. It's disheartening when it happens, but it is something that does happen with Graves' disease.' Patients often tell Lashin that their eyes look different, so he asks them for an old picture or an old driver's license. When they compare them, the change can be striking. Other times, family members point out the change, he says. Thyroid eye disease can also be painful. 'There's dryness, and a sort of grittiness, like a sand-like sensation in your eyes,' Taneja says. 'Some people will complain of excessive tearing.' Thyroid eye disease is challenging to treat, but there are newer medications that can make a difference, he adds. Even people with Graves disease who don't have eye troubles are typically encouraged to routinely see an ophthalmologist to ensure they don't develop any complications. A 'thyroid storm' Untreated or poorly controlled Graves' disease can lead to a 'thyroid storm,' which is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication. It happens when thyroid hormone levels increase rapidly, causing heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature to soar. 'The person is burning a lot of calories, breaking down a lot of tissue, and producing a lot of heat, and all these things can progress to a point where the body systems cannot compensate for that stress anymore,' Lashin says. 'It's a serious condition that requires intensive care treatment' in the hospital, often including antithyroid medications, iodine solution, cooling blankets, and respiratory treatment. How is Graves' disease treated? When someone is diagnosed with Graves' disease, they typically start a daily medication called methimazole, which helps reduce the thyroid gland's production of hormones. Some also take beta-blockers to manage symptoms like a rapid heart rate and tremors. While Moriarty didn't divulge her treatment plan, she did note that her regimen helped her feel better right away: 'Within 24 hours of beginning treatment, I felt the light coming back on,' she wrote on Instagram. 'It's been increasing in strength ever since.' That's a common experience, Taneja says. 'People tend to feel better pretty quickly,' he says. 'The anxiety gets better, the heart-racing gets better, and some people who've lost a bunch of weight unintentionally will start gaining that weight back.' Most people stay on oral medication for at least 1.5 to two years, and some do so well that they achieve remission. 'I would say there's like a 50% chance that people will come off the medications,' Taneja says. 'Then there's the other half that need more prolonged treatment, and it's hard to predict how long they might need it for.' In more advanced cases, he adds, patients might eventually require another type of treatment: either radioactive iodine therapy, which destroys thyroid cells, or surgery to remove all or part of the thyroid gland. Mantis hopes that Moriarty's post about Graves' disease will encourage people to take their own symptoms seriously, even if they're vague, easy to write off as run-of-the-mill stress, or feel too random to be related. 'It's important to listen to your body,' he says. 'If something doesn't feel right, talk to your provider.'
