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Multiple sclerosis and environmental risk factors: a case-control study in Iran

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Abstract

Studies have shown an increase in the incidence of MS in Iran. The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship between environmental exposure and MS in Iran. This case-control study was conducted on 660 MS patients and 421 controls. Many environmental factors are compared between the two groups. Our findings demonstrated that prematurity ([OR = 4.99 (95% CI 1.34–18.68), P = 0.017]), history of measles and mumps ([OR = 1.60 (95% CI 1.05–2.45), P = 0.029; OR = 1.85 (95% CI 1.22–2.78), P = 0.003, respectively]), breast feeding [OR = 2.90 (95% CI 1.49–5.65), P = 0.002], head trauma in childhood ([OR = 8.21 (95% CI 1.56–43.06), P = 0.013]), vaccination in adulthood ([OR = 4.57 (95% CI 1.14–18.41), P = 0.032, respectively]), migraine ([OR = 3.50 (95% CI 1.61–7.59), P = 0.002]), family history of MS, IBD, migraine, and collagen vascular diseases ([OR = 2.73 (95% CI 1.56–4.78), P < 0.001], [OR = 3.14 (95% CI 1.460–6.78), P = 0.004; OR = 3.18 (95% CI 1.83–5.53), P < 0.001; OR = 1.81 (95% CI 1.03–3.20), P = 0.040, respectively]), stressful events ([OR = 32.57 (95% CI 17.21–61.64), P < 0.001]), and microwave exposure ([OR = 3.55 (95% CI 2.24–5.63), P ≤0.001]) were more in the MS group. Sun exposure ([OR = 0.09 (95% CI 0.02–0.38), P = 0.001]), dairy and calcium consumption ([OR = 0.44 (95% CI 0.27–0.71), P = 0.001]), diabetes mellitus ([OR = 0.11 (95% CI 0.01–00.99), P = 0.049], and complete vaccination during childhood appeared to decreased MS risk. Our results investigated many risk factors and protective factors in Iran.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the case and control groups for the help.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Immunoregulation Research Center, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Abbasi

  2. Medical Students Research Committee, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Abbasi, Nikan Zerafat Jou & Iman Ansari

  3. Neurology group, Department of Regenerative Biomedicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran

    Seyed Massood Nabavi

  4. MS research unit, Mostafa Khomeini Hospital, School of Medicine, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

    Seyed Massood Nabavi

  5. Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences, and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Seyed Mohammad Fereshtehnejad

  6. Neurology Department, Isfahan university of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Vahid Shayegannejad

  7. Neurology Department, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

    Seyed Ehsan Mohammadianinejad

  8. Neurology Department, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Mahdi Farhoudi

  9. Neurology Department, Azad Medical University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

    Abbas Noorian

  10. Neurology Department, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

    Nazanin Razazian

  11. Neurology Department, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Mahmoud Abedini

  12. Neurology Department, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran

    Fardin Faraji

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  1. Maryam Abbasi
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  2. Seyed Massood Nabavi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seyed Massood Nabavi.

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The researchers were committed to the ethical guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and approval for the study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board at Shahed University. Signed informed consents were also obtained from all participants.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Abbasi, M., Nabavi, S.M., Fereshtehnejad, S.M. et al. Multiple sclerosis and environmental risk factors: a case-control study in Iran. Neurol Sci 38, 1941–1951 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-017-3080-9

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