risk factors

Children whose mothers were vitamin D deficient during the early stages of pregnancy are at an elevated risk for developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in adulthood, according to a study published in the journal JAMA Neurology, titled “Vitamin D Status During Pregnancy and Risk of Multiple…

A new research study published online in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry suggests that drinking six cups of coffee a day could lower the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). The researchers said the neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties of caffeine in coffee may explain why drinking a…

Researchers at the University of Northampton’s Radon and Natural Radioactivity Research Group (RNRRG) developed a methodology to study whether radon gas, an invisible and radioactive gas known to cause lung cancer, might be a contributing factor in multiple sclerosis. They concluded that the link between the two was weak and not statistically significant.

The European Medicines Agency Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC), responsible for assessing and monitoring safety issues for human medicines, completed a review on the risk for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with the medicine Tysabri (natalizumab). The issued guidelines have the objective of minimizing patients’ risk.

A research team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) launched a study on people at risk for developing multiple sclerosis (MS), a debilitating disease that affects more than 400,000 people in the United States and about…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with natalizumab have an increased risk of developing high levels of antibodies associated with a virus causing a rare, but often fatal, brain infection known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), researchers reported. Their study, “Therapy with natalizumab is associated with high JCV seroconversion and rising JCV index values,”…

A panel of neurologists from the U.K. and Ireland recently developed practical consensus guidelines for monitoring multiple sclerosis (MS) patients on natalizumab (Tysabri) therapy for the risk of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a life-threatening viral infection caused by the John Cunningham (JC) virus. The panel was summoned by…

A Colombian study reported finding an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) associated with a particular allele, or gene variant, in a group of patients from the Colombian capital, Bogotá. The study also found a protective allele — HLA-DRB1*14 — that might explain the low rates of MS observed throughout the…

In a recent study, a team of researchers argued that, contrary to what has been proposed, subclinical Bordetella pertussis colonization is an important cause of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, “The potential role of subclinical Bordetella Pertussis colonization in the etiology of multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal…

In a new study, researchers found that additives common to processed foods can damage the tight junctions that protect the intestinal mucosa, and which are essential to the intestinal tolerance and immunity balance that works to prevent autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The article, titled “Changes in…

Findings from two studies, recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, indicate that high levels of salt alter the stability of the immune system and make it more susceptible to inflammation. The studies, which were led by Dr. David Hafler from Yale University and Dr. Dominik…

In a recent study published in the journal Immunity, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel reported the findings that a small subtype of immune dendritic cells plays a role in the prevention of both metabolic syndrome and autoimmunity. The study is entitled “…

Three parallel sessions concerning multiple sclerosis (MS) prevention, clinical phenotypes and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were featured at the 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), recently held in Barcelona, Spain (October 7 – 10, 2015). The first parallel session was entitled “Will MS…

A new study recently published in the journal Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation revealed that the drug Cladribine does not increase the risk of cancer in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) as previously thought. The study was led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)…

“Overall fat intake not significantly associated with MS risk.” – Kjetil L. Bjornevik Dr. Kjetil Bjørnevik is a professor of Neurology, Epidemiology at University of Bergen. For full coverage on social media for #ECTRIMS2015 go to https://bit.ly/ECTRIMS2015…

Exposure to sunlight may delay the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study from researchers in Denmark. The work, titled “Association between age at onset of multiple sclerosis and vitamin D level–related factors,” appeared October 7, 2015 in the journal Neurology.

A number of studies have previously suggested a negative effect of high cholesterol levels on the development of brain lesions in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), however, little is known about the effect of HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, or “good” cholesterol, on MS. A team of scientists from the University…

A new study entitled “Effect of Smoking Cessation on Multiple Sclerosis Prognosis” recently revealed that smoking by patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) post diagnosis accelerates their disease progression course. The study was published in the journal JAMA Neurology and was led by researchers at the…

Two new risk factors for multiple sclerosis have been identified by a research group at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Led by Dr. Loukas Moutsianas, the team discovered that having HLA-DQA1*01:01–HLA-DRB1*15:01 and HLA-DQB1*03:01–HLA-DQB1*03:02 gene allele…

In a new study entitled “Variants of MicroRNA Genes: Gender-Specific Associations with Multiple Sclerosis Risk and Severity,” researchers identified variations in genes coding for microRNAs that influence patients’ susceptibility to develop multiple sclerosis, as well as the disease course. Most importantly, these variations were gender specific, identified only…

An international team led by researchers at McGill University in Canada recently published in the journal PLOS Medicine data supporting a link between low vitamin D levels and the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is entitled “Vitamin D and Risk of Multiple…

Most people know that eating too much salt is bad for your health, but a new study suggests that it could also increase the risk for multiple sclerosis (MS). The work appeared in the August 2015 issue of The FASEB Journal, the journal of the Federation of…

An Open Access research article published in the journal BMC Medical Genetics notes that multiple sclerosis (MS) has a strong genetic component, observing high MS prevalence in European populations including those of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, and low in African and Asian populations also including those of…

The ability to assess risk may decline as multiple sclerosis disease status progresses over time, as determined by a recent study from University of Alberta in Canada. Principal investigator Esther Fujiwara, PhD, and lead author of the study, Ashley Radomski, used the game of dice task (GDT) to challenge patients…

A study recently published in the journal JAMA Neurology revealed that celiac disease is linked to a significant increase in the risk of nerve damage. The study is entitled “Risk of Neuropathy Among 28,232 Patients With Biopsy-Verified Celiac Disease” and was conducted by researchers…

What do multiple sclerosis and gout have in common? Uric acid. Uric acid, a byproduct of purine metabolism, causes crystal accumulation in joints (usually in the foot) and subsequent pain. Uric acid has also been shown to protect neurons via antioxidant activity. Since high levels of uric acid that…

A team led by researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) recently revealed in the journal ASN NEURO a new genetic variation that significantly increases the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in women. The study is entitled “A Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism in…

Coffee Drinking may confer the side-benefit of lowering the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in susceptible individuals, according to a meta-analysis of Swedish and American studies to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 67th Annual Meeting to be held April 18-25, 2015 at the…

A new study entitled “Mercury Exposure and Antinuclear Antibodies among Females of Reproductive Age in the United States” suggests mercury exposure by seafood may increase the risk of developing autoimmune diseases in women. The study was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Autoimmune disorders…

A new study on the association between Helicobacter pylori and multiple sclerosis (MS) entitled “Helicobacter pylori infection as a protective factor against multiple sclerosis risk in females” was published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry by Marzena J. Fabis Pedrini from the Centre…