Jump to content
RemedySpot.com

OT!! Non - Invasive MS test proposed

Rate this topic


Guest guest

Recommended Posts

Guest guest

A few members have been discussing MS lately, so this should be of

interest to them:

Non-Invasive MS Test Proposed

by C.

Article Date: 06-24-05

Doctors in a new preliminary study are proposing a non-invasive way to

measure disease activity in people with multiple sclerosis.1 They

contend that tests to determine the presence of MS can be just as

effective by collecting samples of saliva as they are collecting

samples of cerebrospinal fluid (as in a spinal tap).

Why Saliva Testing?

Saliva contains a substance known as human leukocyte antigen, or HLA.

This substance, also found on the surfaces of blood cells, alerts the

immune system to respond when foreign invaders (like viruses or

bacteria) enter the body. The immune system subsequently fights off

these disease-causing organisms.2 But HLA levels can also be found in

urine, tears, and the sweat of healthy people.3

However, based on other research, the investigators in this study

suggest that HLA activity is altered in people diagnosed with MS.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans have revealed fluctuations in

blood and spinal fluid levels of HLA, they contend.

" Theoretically, we would expect that measurement of [levels of] HLA in

cerebrospinal fluid would be most likely to reflect central nervous

system disease activity, if indeed such measurement could serve as a

monitor of a disorder such as MS, " wrote Irena Adamashvili, PhD, in

the department of Neurology at the Louisiana State University Health

Sciences Center, and her colleagues. " However, cerebrospinal fluid

exams are invasive and not without potential complications. "

Thus, the researchers wanted to determine if measuring levels of HLA

in saliva would be just as effective as a test for MS by similarly

demonstrating disease activity.

Comparing Saliva Testing to Spinal Tap

They enrolled 13 people who'd been diagnosed with relapsing-remitting

multiple sclerosis for the research along with 53 healthy people whom

they assigned to a comparison group. Saliva samples were then

collected from each patient and stored for testing. As a comparison,

spinal fluid was also collected from each patient via spinal tap. Each

study participant also underwent MRI exams. Patients with MS were then

assigned to two sub-groups of those with and without brain lesions as

seen on MRI scans.

When the test results were analyzed, all healthy patients had

measurable HLA levels, wrote Adamashvili and her team wrote. In five

patients, HLA could not be measured. By comparison, in the 13 patients

with MS, HLA levels in saliva could also be measured. Though the

levels varied by individual, the researchers established that they

were equivalent to those seen in cerebrospinal fluid samples taken.

The investigators then compared the test results of HLA taken from

saliva and from spinal fluid in the two subgroups of patients with and

without MS-related brain lesions. These " revealed no significant

cerebrospinal fluid or saliva differences, " they wrote.

Based on these findings and those of other studies, Adamashvili's

group concludes that the presence of HLA likely has some connection to

an associated disease, such as MS. But whether these levels are

indicative of the presence of MS needs to be studied further. " It

remains to be determined in which body fluids soluble HLA production

reflects immunoreactivity, if indeed this is the case, " they stressed.

One question to be answered is whether this substance is a marker of

immune system activity related to MS, or may be linked to the activity

of the disease itself, the study team emphasized.

In the meantime, testing for the presence of the marker in saliva " may

be a potential noninvasive " way to help doctors diagnose diseases of

the central nervous system like MS, they concluded.

Immune System Connection to MS?

Multiple sclerosis is thought to be an autoimmune disease. For unknown

reasons, it's believed the cells of the immune system, which normally

target disease-causing organisms in the body, instead go after areas

of the central nervous system. A primary target is a fatty substance

known as myelin, whose main function is to protect nerve endings and

help them communicate. But when myelin is stripped away, the nerve

endings are left bare and vulnerable. When this happens, the symptoms

of MS, such as dizziness, pain, and spasticity, begin to appear.4

It's estimated that 400,000 Americans have been diagnosed with the

disease. Each week, an additional 200 are added to that number,

experts estimate.5

1. Adamashvili I, Minagar A, -Toledo E, Featherston L, Kelley

RE. Soluble HLA measurement in saliva and cerebrospinal fluid in

Caucasian patients with multiple sclerosis: a preliminary study. J

Neuroinflammation 2005 Jun 2;2(1):13 [Epub ahead of print].

2. Merck Manual. Immune Disorders. Biology of the Immune System.

Available at:

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec16/ch183/ch183a.html?qt=human%20leukocyte%20antigen\

& alt=sh.

Accessed Jun 17, 2005.

3. Aultman D, Adamashvili I, Yaturu K et al. Soluble HLA in human body

fluids. Hum Immunol 1999 Mar;60(3):239-44.

4. National Multiple Sclerosis Society. What is MS? Available at:

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/What%20is%20MS.asp. Accessed June 17,

2005.

5. National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Who Gets MS? Available at:

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Who%20gets%20MS.asp. Accessed June

17, 2005.

is a long-time health journalist and an editor for

Priority Healthcare. His credits include overseeing health news

coverage for the website of Fox Television's The Health Network, and

articles for the New York Post and other consumer and trade publications.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...