High antibody levels against human herpesvirus-6A interact with lifestyle factors in multiple sclerosis development

Infection with human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) has been suggested to increase multiple sclerosis (MS) risk. However, potential interactions between HHV-6A and environmental/lifestyle risk factors for MS have not previously been studied.

We used two Swedish population-based case-control studies comprising 5993 cases and 5995 controls. Using logistic regression models, subjects with different HHV-6A antibody levels, environmental exposures, and lifestyle habits were compared regarding MS risk, by calculating odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Potential interactions between high HHV-6A antibody levels and common environmental exposures and lifestyle factors were evaluated on the additive scale.

High HHV-6A antibody levels were associated with increased risk of developing MS (OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.4-1.6). Regarding MS risk, significant interactions were observed between high HHV-6A antibody levels and both smoking (attributable proportion (AP) = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.1-0.3), low ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure (AP = 0.3, 95% CI = 0.1-0.4), and low vitamin D levels (AP = 0.3, 95% CI = 0.0-0.6).

High HHV-6A antibody levels are associated with increased MS risk and act synergistically with common environmental/lifestyle risk factors for MS. Further research is needed to investigate potential mechanisms underlying the interactions presented in this study.