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Seasonal variation of interferon‐γ production in progressive multiple sclerosis
Author(s) -
Balashov Konstantin E.,
Olek Michael J.,
Smith Derek R.,
Khoury Samia J.,
Weiner Howard L.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410440519
Subject(s) - multiple sclerosis , pathogenesis , endogeny , interferon , disease , immunology , medicine , central nervous system , central nervous system disease , cytokine , biology
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. There is increased interferon (IFN)‐γ secretion in MS patients in vitro, and IFN‐γ administration induces exacerbations of disease suggesting a link between IFN‐γ and disease activity. We observed significantly increased IFN‐γ production in the autumn and winter months compared with the spring and summer months in chronic progressive MS, and this increase was linked to endogenous interleukin (IL)‐12 production. Increased seasonal IFN‐γ was not observed in normal control subjects, and there were no seasonal changes in IL‐10 in progressive MS. These results suggest a potential environmental link between dysregulated IFN‐γ production and MS disease progression and pathogenesis.