Abstract
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, its effect on the age of disease onset remains unclear. This study examines the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and age of first symptom onset among recently diagnosed MS patients. Serum 25(OH)D was measured from forty MS patients sampled near disease onset. After correcting seasonal variability, the association between 25(OH)D levels, along with other clinical measures such as IgG index, and age at MS onset was examined using multivariable linear regression. Serum 25(OH)D was not correlated with age at onset (P > 0.5). We observed bias among previously reported associations between 25(OH)D and MS disease measures resulting from non-random distribution of sampling by season. After correcting for seasonal 25(OH)D and other clinical measures, only CSF IgG index remained significantly associated with age at disease onset (β = − 5.35, P = 0.028). In summary, we observed no association between age at onset and serum 25(OH)D levels but observed a negative correlation with CSF IgG index, although this will require further investigation.
Highlights
Vitamin D is an essential modulator for normal immune function, suppressing inflammation and facilitating immune tolerance[1]
This study investigates the association between vitamin D and age at first symptom onset among recently diagnosed multiple sclerosis (MS) patients while examining effects from seasonal variability using data from Soilu-Hänninen et al.[11]
There is a higher proportion of MS patients sampled during relapse between March and May
Summary
Vitamin D is an essential modulator for normal immune function, suppressing inflammation and facilitating immune tolerance[1]. Long-term deficiencies often due to inadequate sun exposure and dietary supplementation have been associated with increased risk of autoimmunity and infection[2]. Low sun exposure has been associated with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS)[3,4], a chronic neuroinflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Emphasis on early childhood exposures indicates vitamin D is likely involved in the early stages of disease development[4,8]; its direct influence on the age at onset or the incidence of pediatric-onset disease remains u nclear[4,9,10]. This study investigates the association between vitamin D and age at first symptom onset among recently diagnosed MS patients while examining effects from seasonal variability using data from Soilu-Hänninen et al.[11]
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