Neurofibromatosis I and multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is one of the most common autosomal dominant genetic disorders with a birth incidence as high as 1:2000. It is caused by mutations in the NF1 gene on chromosome 17 which encodes neurofibromin, a regulator of neuronal differentiation. While NF1 individuals are predisposed to develop benign and malignant nervous system tumors, various non-tumoral neurological conditions including multiple sclerosis (MS) have also been reported to occur more frequently in NF1. The number of epidemiologic studies on MS in NF1 individuals is very limited. The aim of this study was to determine the estimated population proportion of MS in NF1 patients followed in our Referral Centre for Neurofibromatosis using the Informatics for Integrated Biology and the Bedside (i2b2) platform to extract information from the hospital’s electronic health records. We found a total 1507 patients with confirmed NF1, aged 18 years (y) and above (mean age 39.2y, range 18-88y; 57% women). Five NF1 individuals were found to have MS, yielding an estimated population proportion of 3.3 per 1000 (0.0033, 95% Confidence Interval 0.0014–0.0077). The median age at diagnosis was 45 y (range 28–49 y). Three patients had relapsing-remitting MS and two patients had secondary progressive MS. Patients with NF1 were found to be twice more likely to develop MS than the general population in France (odds ratio 2.2), however this result was not statistically significant (95% Confidence Interval 0.91–5.29). Our results show that patients with NF1 might have a slight increased tendency to develop MS; however, due to the small sample size of our study, the results may not be sufficiently powered to detect this rare association. Large-scale epidemiological studies based on nationwide datasets are needed to confirm our findings. These findings further emphasize the need for a focused follow-up of patients with NF1, as early detection and management of MS can prevent further neurological disability.