| Title | Achalasia: Virus-Induced Euthanasia of Neurons? | | Author(s) | Boeckxstaens GE | | Institution | Division of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Leuven Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. | | Source | Am J Gastroenterol 2008 Jun 12. | | Abstract | Achalasia, a motor disorder of the esophagus, is characterized by myenteric plexitis leading to neuronal loss. Cytotoxic T cells, isolated from the lower esophageal sphincter of achalasia patients, respond to human herpes virus-1 (HSV-1) with gamma-IFN (and to a lesser extent IL-2) production and clonal proliferation. In addition, HSV-1 DNA was demonstrated in the vast majority of patients, but also in controls. These exciting data suggest that achalasia is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease in which a (latent) infection with HSV-1 leads to persistent immune activation and self-destruction of esophageal neurons, most likely in genetic susceptible subjects only. | | Language | ENG | | Pub Type(s) | JOURNAL ARTICLE
| | PubMed ID | 18557706 |
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