- Title
- Fluctuations of MS births and UV-light exposure
- Creator
- Verheul, F.; Smolders, J.; Comi, G.; Izquierdo, G.; Grammond, P.; Lus, G.; Petersen, T.; Bergamaschi, R.; Giuliani, G.; Boz, C.; Coniglio, G.; Van Pesch, V.; Trojano, M.; Lechner-Scott, J.; Cavalla, P.; Granella, F.; Avolio, C.; Fiol, M.; Poehlau, D.; Saladino, M. L.; Gallo, P.; Deri, N.; Oleschko Arruda, W.; Lepore, V.; Paine, M.; Ferro, M.; Barnett, M.; Cabrera-Gomez, J. A.; Slee, M.; Moore, F.; Shaw, C.; Petkovska-Boskova, T.; Rutherford, M.; Engelsen, O.; Zwanikken, C.; Damoiseaux, J.; Hupperts, R.; Amato, M. P.; Grand'Maison, F.; Butzkueven, H.; Marrosu, M.; Duquette, P.
- Relation
- NHMRC
- Relation
- Acta Neurologica Scandinavica Vol. 127, Issue 5, p. 301-308
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ane.12007
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2013
- Description
- Background: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are more frequently born in spring when compared to autumn. Fluctuation of UV-light has been hypothesized to drive this phenomenon. Aim: To assess the correlation between fluctuation of sunlight and birth season in persons with MS. Methods: For this record-linkage study, we collected from the international MSBase and the Italian MS iMed-web databases the dates of birth of 11,415 patients with MS from 36 centres from 15 countries worldwide and compared these to dates of live-births from national registries. From all participating sites, we collected data on UV-light fluctuation and assessed its correlation with seasonal fluctuation in MS births. Results: Compared with the reference cohort, an increased proportion of persons with MS were born in spring and a decreased proportion in autumn (odds ratio (OR) to be born in spring versus autumn = 1.158, χ2 = 36.347, P < 0.001). There was no significantly increased fluctuation of MS births with increased quartile of ambient UV-light fluctuation (Ptrend= 0.086). Conclusion: Seasonal fluctuation of MS births as found in this worldwide cohort of patients with MS did not correlate with variation in seasonal fluctuation of UV-light. Most likely, it results from a complex interplay between fluctuation of sunlight, behavioural factors, other environmental factors and (epi)genetic factors.
- Subject
- multiple sclerosis; birth season; ultraviolet light
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1294349
- Identifier
- uon:18773
- Identifier
- ISSN:0001-6314
- Language
- eng
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