Abstract
BackgroundGenetic and environmental factors seem to have etiologic roles in multiple sclerosis (MS). Kuwait is regarded as medium to high risk country for MS. However, there is a paucity of published data on the risk factors for MS in Kuwait. Therefore, this matched case-control study examined the association between various factors including family history, stressful life events, exposure to tobacco smoke, vaccination history, comorbidities and MS risk in Kuwait.MethodsConfirmed 110 MS cases and age (± 5 years), gender and nationality matched controls (1:1) were enrolled. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect the data through face-to-face interviews both from cases and controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to analyze the data.ResultsAmong both cases and controls, majority were Kuwaiti (82.7%), and female (76.4%). Multivariable model showed that cases compared to controls were significantly more likely to have had a family history of MS (adjusted matched odds ratio (mORadj) = 5.1; 95% CI: 2.1–12.4; p < 0.001) or less likely to have been vaccinated against influenza A and B viruses before MS onset (mORadj = 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2–0.8; p = 0.010). None of the other variables considered were significantly related to MS status in this study.ConclusionsFamily history of MS had significantly direct, whereas, vaccination against influenza A and B viruses had inverse associations with MS status. Future studies may contemplate to verify the observed results.
Highlights
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory neurological disorder that affects young adults, causing a range of morbidities and disabilities [1,2,3]
The distributions of demographic characteristics such as marital status, monthly income (KD), governorate of residence and relative distributions of potential risk factors in cases and controls are shown in Tables 1 and 2 respectively
Multivariable conditional logistic regression model Final multivariable conditional logistic regression model showed that after adjusting for the effect of educational level, the cases compared to controls were more likely to have had a positive family history of multiple sclerosis (MS)
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory neurological disorder that affects young adults, causing a range of morbidities and disabilities [1,2,3]. Month of birth has been shown to increase MS risk in different countries, which might be associated with varying length of exposure to sunlight and perhaps resulting in vitamin D deficiency [1, 7, 8]. Genetic and environmental factors seem to have etiologic roles in multiple sclerosis (MS). There is a paucity of published data on the risk factors for MS in Kuwait. This matched case-control study examined the association between various factors including family history, stressful life events, exposure to tobacco smoke, vaccination history, comorbidities and MS risk in Kuwait
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
