Epidemiology of multiple sclerosis and vitamin D levels in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain

Background: Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) have been described as one of the possible environmental factors involved in multiple sclerosis (MS) etiopathogenesis.

Objectives: To study epidemiology of MS and 25(OH)D serum levels of patients in Lanzarote (29°02'06″N), a region with high ultraviolet radiation values during the whole year which is located far apart from Iberian Peninsula (36°-43°N), but without genetic/ethnic differences with it.

Methods: Incidence in Lanzarote was assessed according to McDonald 2005 criteria between January 2008 and December 2015 and prevalence date was 12/31/15. For 25(OH)D serum levels analyses, samples from 60 MS patients and 60 healthy donors (HD) were collected monthly in a one-year prospective study.

Results: The prevalence of MS in Lanzarote was 50.0/100,000 and the incidence per year was 2.5/100,000. Median 25(OH)D levels values were 29.1 ng/ml for MS patients (maximum = 36.1 ng/ml, minimum = 22.5 ng/ml) and 27.1 ng/ml for HD (maximum = 34.8 ng/ml, minimum = 22.8 ng/ml). There were no significant differences between 25(OH)D serum levels between MS patients and HD.

Conclusions: Lanzarote possesses lower prevalence and incidence values than peninsular Spain. Moreover, 25(OH)D serum levels do not differ between MS patients and HD.