Smoking increases the risk of multiple sclerosis in Queensland, Australia

C O'Gorman; W Bukhari; A Todd; S Freeman; S A Broadley

doi:10.1016/j.jocn.2014.01.009

Smoking increases the risk of multiple sclerosis in Queensland, Australia

J Clin Neurosci. 2014 Oct;21(10):1730-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jocn.2014.01.009. Epub 2014 Jun 3.

Authors

C O'Gorman¹, W Bukhari², A Todd³, S Freeman², S A Broadley⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, QLD, Australia; Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² School of Medicine, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, QLD, Australia.
³ Gold Coast Hospital, Southport, QLD, Australia.
⁴ School of Medicine, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, QLD, Australia; Gold Coast Hospital, Southport, QLD, Australia.

PMID: 24932591
DOI: 10.1016/j.jocn.2014.01.009

Abstract

There is growing evidence for the role of smoking in the aetiology of multiple sclerosis (MS). We have undertaken a large case-control study of smoking in MS and assessed this using a regression model. We have confirmed an association between increased risk of MS and smoking in Queensland, Australia, a region of intermediate risk for MS. The overall adjusted odds ratio was 1.9 (95% confidence interval 1.5-2.5) for ever smokers. There was no statistically significant difference in the risks for males and females. A number of potential mechanisms to explain this association have been postulated including direct and indirect (via vitamin D) effects on the immune system.

Keywords: Case-control studies; Multiple sclerosis; Risk factors in epidemiology.

MeSH terms

Case-Control Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Multiple Sclerosis / epidemiology*
Odds Ratio
Queensland / epidemiology
Regression Analysis
Risk
Smoking / epidemiology*