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New data suggest familial/genetic risk for mononucleosis
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Researchers in Denmark said infectious mononucleosis may have a genetic component that warrants further study.
“We found familial aggregation of infectious mononucleosis which may be explained by a mixture of genetics, shared environmental characteristics and shared behaviors between relatives,” they wrote in Clinical Infectious Diseases. “The presumed genetic components are large enough to warrant [genome-wide association] studies on disease etiology, especially to examine commonalities with causal pathways in other [Epstein-Barr virus]-related diseases so as to provide clues to their prevention and treatment.”
The researchers used the Danish Civil Registration System and the Danish National Hospital Discharge Register to evaluate the rate of infectious mononucleosis among more than 2.8 million children born from 1971 to 2011. They identified cases and determined the risk for the disease among first-, second- and third-degree relatives.
During 40.4 million person-years of follow-up from 1977 to 2011, there were 16,870 cases of infectious mononucleosis. Among same-sex twins, the incidence rate ratio (IRR) was highest compared with any other relative group (IRR=9.31; 95% CI, 2.96-29.3). Among first-degree relatives, siblings had the highest IRR, at 3.02 (95% CI, 2.59-3.51), and parents had an IRR of 1.89 (95% CI, 1.64-2.18).
Among second-degree relatives, maternal half-siblings had an IRR of 2.57 (95% CI, 1.85-3.57) and paternal half-siblings had an IRR of 1.21 (95% CI, 0.8-1.83). Third-degree relatives, namely first cousins, had an IRR of 1 (95% CI, 0.85-1.19).
“The observed familial clustering is unlikely to be a chance phenomenon, but rather points to shared environmental or genetic risk factors for infectious mononucleosis or a combination hereof,” the researchers wrote.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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