Appendicectomy and multiple sclerosis risk

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Immunology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Appendicectomy for acute appendicitis is linked to reduced risk of immune-mediated diseases.
• This suggests appendicitis may indicate immune system characteristics influencing disease risk.
• The association between appendectomy and multiple sclerosis (MS) risk requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between appendectomy and its underlying diagnosis with the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS).

Main Methods:

• Utilized Swedish population registers and the Swedish MS register for data.
• Included 20,542 MS cases and 204,157 matched controls.
• Employed conditional logistic regression to assess the association between appendectomy diagnosis and MS risk.

Main Results:

• A perforated appendix, indicating acute appendicitis, showed a non-significant inverse association with MS (OR 0.86).
• Appendicitis without perforation had a slightly increased, non-significant odds ratio for MS (OR 1.04).
• Appendectomy without appendicitis showed a non-significant increased odds ratio for MS (OR 1.14).

Conclusions:

• The study's findings were inconclusive regarding the hypothesis on appendicitis and MS risk.
• Variations in the diagnosis underlying appendectomy might explain inconsistencies in previous research on appendicitis and MS risk.