Search resultsAlcohol, coffee, fish, smoking and disease progression in multiple sclerosis
Title
Alcohol, coffee, fish, smoking and disease progression in multiple sclerosis
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2012
Authors
Journal
European Journal of Neurology
Volume
19
Issue
4
Pagination
616 - 624
Date published
2012
ISBN
13515101 (ISSN)
Keywords
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, alcohol consumption, Alcohol Drinking, alcoholic beverage, Animals, article, Belgium, birth, cigarette smoking, coffee, Cross-Sectional Studies, cross-sectional study, Disability Evaluation, Disabled Persons, disease course, Disease Progression, Expanded Disability Status Scale, Female, fish, Fishes, food intake, food preference, gender, hazard ratio, health survey, human, Humans, hypothesis, immunomodulation, Kaplan-Meier Estimate, lifestyle, Longitudinal Studies, major clinical study, male, Middle Aged, multiple sclerosis, onset age, outcome assessment, priority journal, progression, Proportional Hazards Models, Risk Factors, smoking, tea, wine, Young Adult
Abstract
Background: Certain lifestyle factors might influence disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS). Objectives: To investigate the consumption of alcoholic beverages, caffeinated drinks, fish and cigarette smoking in relation to disability progression in relapsing onset and progressive onset MS. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey amongst individuals with MS, registered by the Flemish MS society in Belgium. A time-to-event analysis and Cox proportional-hazard regression were performed with time to Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 6 (requiring a cane or support to walk for a distance of 100m) as outcome measure. Hazard ratios for the time from onset and from birth were adjusted for age at onset, gender and immunomodulatory treatment. Results: Data of 1372 persons with definite MS were collected. In the relapsing onset group, a decreased risk for reaching EDSS 6 was found in regular consumers of alcohol, wine, coffee and fish compared with those who never consumed these substances. Cigarette smoking was associated with an enhanced risk for reaching EDSS 6. In the progressive onset group, no association with the risk of reaching EDSS 6 was found, except for the type of fish. Preference for fatty fish was associated with an increased risk to reach EDSS 6, when lean fish was taken as the reference category. Conclusion: Consumption of alcoholic beverages, coffee and fish were inversely associated with progression of disability in relapsing onset MS, but not in progressive onset MS. These findings allow to support the hypothesis that different mechanisms might underlie progression of disability in relapsing and progressive onset MS. © 2011 The Author(s). European Journal of Neurology