4 ms·
Hypothesis: Bipolar disorder is an Epstein–Barr virus‐driven disease
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- edoggie 6y agoWow, if this is true, could provide amazing new insights on many brain related ailments.
- Kassius509 6y agoWoah
- pcdoodle 6y agoEpstein didn't kill himself.
- captainredbeard 6y agoDiets optimized for managing autoimmune disorders -- e.g. Wahl's -- are effective with BD, too.
- cknoxrun 6y agoIs this through first-hand experience? I am tempted to give this a go.
- captainredbeard 6y agoYes. Ketogenic diets are often used for autoimmune disorders and are known effective for BD, too.
- 0x2a 6y agoCan you cite a source on the latter claim?
- captainredbeard 6y agohttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30075165/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30075165/
- Decker87 6y agoThis study is from April, I wonder if there's been any substantial progress on whether this hypothesis is true?
- tdrp 6y agoMaybe someone in the field can pitch in, but I also saw this sentence in the article: "I have previously hypothesised that all human chronic autoimmune diseases are caused by Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection of autoreactive B cells," So it seems he's been hovering around the EBV hypothesis for longer than that so I am also curious if there was any real progress and whether this is something the medical research community is treating seriously.
- erentz 6y agoEBV has been linked to several autoimmune illnesses in recent years, so yes it’s treated seriously by those who have stayed abreast of that research. (It’s also been linked to certain cancers previously.) But as for whether it causes all human autoimmune illnesses, that seems a bit of a stretch. I don’t think you’d find many believing that. (Lots of infections can cause autoimmunity. The neurological damage / and long term post infection chronic fatigue that some COVID patients are suffering for example may likely be autoimmune related.)
- hhas01 6y ago"I have previously hypothesised that all human chronic autoimmune diseases are caused by Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)" Obvious red flag is obvious, because once you start looking for something in particular you do start finding it everywhere you look. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias This is why we developed the scientific method, to act as a filter for such human follies. That the author is still hypothesizing instead of rolling up his sleeves and doing the actual work to DISprove his own ideas speaks volumes. Or, to put it another way: it is not sufficient merely to gird oneself in the mantle of Marshall and Warren; one must also swallow the H Pylori and serve their hard time on the shitter.
- deleted 6y ago
- ntsplnkv2 6y agoCan someone give a layman's explanation?
- shakezula 6y agoI'm a layman but I read the paper. The paper's main points are that people with bipolar show a specific lack of some chemicals that Epstein-Barr Virus infections can cause, it argues that this theory would explain lithium being paradoxically good at treating BD (for some technical reasons it gets into), and further there's ample evidence that mood disorders and autoimmune disorders have a high comorbdity, with the author suggesting that the two are more deeply related.
- ex3ndr 6y agoWoah. So i should treat autoimmune to improve my mood? Like specific diet?
- imtringued 6y agoExtremely unspecific advice: If you use too much toilet paper all the time then something is wrong with your diet and you should try figuring out what the cause is. Once your diet has improved you won't need more than one wipe. I doubt this will help with bipolar disorder specifically though. This is mostly helpful for people who don't get enough fiber.
- anon4lol 6y ago... but I love Taco Bell so much it hurts.
- tboyd47 6y agoA mono vaccine is in development, so the more health problems that can be linked to mono, the better it will be for the vaccine sales.
- computerphage 6y ago"Epstein-Barr virus, or EBV, is one of the most common human viruses in the world. It spreads primarily through saliva. EBV can cause infectious mononucleosis, also called mono, and other illnesses. Most people will get infected with EBV in their lifetime and will not have any symptoms. Mono caused by EBV is most common among teens and adults." https://www.cdc.gov/epstein-barr/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/epstein-barr/index.html
- adammichaelc 6y agoWhile true, what this misses that is discussed in the paper is that some people’s immune systems aren’t able to fight EBV effectively. Their bodies show high levels of antibodies, indicating an active fight, whereas most people will only have antibodies showing a previous fight. In bipolar and schizophrenia, the blood seems to indicate an active fight, and a higher antibody count, versus in a neurotypical person.
- hellofunk 6y agoThis implies that the genetic link is somewhat of a coincidence, the family members just happen to have all caught the same virus? Is that the right interpretation? Because BD does seem to come in waves in families.
- coolgeek 6y agoPerhaps it's both? Some people/families are more genetically predisposed, but it takes the virus to actually trigger BPD?
- hellofunk 6y agoI doubt it. Is it common that everyone eventually catches that virus?
- adammichaelc 6y agoIt’s not just that they caught the virus, but that their immune systems are unable to defeat the virus. So, the battle remains active for life, and becomes a chronic infection. Presumably, this would suggest that the genetic component is the susceptibility to the virus, and inability to defeat it.
- hellofunk 6y agoSeems unlikely that virus is so prevalent to infect multiple family members that do not cohabitate but nonetheless show genetic link for BD.