News Multiple Sclerosis Risk, Protective Factors Explored in New Research Multiple Sclerosis Risk, Protective Factors Explored in New Research by Patricia Inacio, PhD | October 8, 2014 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link Researchers recently uncovered some curious new insights into environmental factors that may rise or lower the risk of developing Multiple Sclerosis. A new study entitled āEnvironmental exposures and the risk of multiple sclerosis investigated in a Norwegian caseācontrol studyā published in October issue of BMC Neurology reported an increased risk for developingĀ Multiple Sclerosis with smoking and infections, as well as the potentially protective role that exposure to cats during childhood can play in preventing the disease. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, and many environmental factors have already been associated with increased susceptibility to developing MS ā smokers and infection by EpsteināBarr’s virus (EBV), for example.Ā However, in this new case-control study, the authors proposed to determine how hygiene-related environmental exposures during childhood impact MS susceptibility in a Norwegian cohort. Specifically, the authors studied the role of severe infections, vaccinations, and exposure to animals.Ā The authors performed a standardized questionnaire to 756 MS patients from the Oslo MS Registry, and 1,090 randomly selected healthy-control individuals.Ā The questionnaire focused on environmental exposures, lifestyle, demographics, and previous as well as current diseases. [adrotate group=”4″] The study results confirmed infectious mononucleosis (IM), the clinical manifestation of infection with EBV, and smoking as risk factors for MS in the Norwegian cohort. Additionally, the study showed that exposure to animals during childhood can also influence MS susceptibility. While common childhood infections were previously studied in relation to MS risk, the authors focused on severe infections during childhood, such as pneumonia and meningitis. However, no differences were observed between MS and the healthy group. Notably, both groups reported similar participation in the childhood immunization program, thus excluding any risk of childhood vaccination in increased risk for MS. The authors further suggested that exposure to cats during childhood may have a protective effect on MS, in agreement with the hypothesis that exposing the immune system to infectious agents, as the ones carried by a domestic animal, may decrease the risk of autoimmune diseases, like MS. Print This Page About the Author Patricia Inacio, PhD Patricia holds her PhD in cell biology from the University Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, and has served as an author on several research projects and fellowships, as well as major grant applications for European agencies. She also served as a PhD student research assistant in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University, New York, for which she was awarded a Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD) fellowship. Tags cats, risk factors, smoking
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