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Cardiovascular conditions in persons with multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica and transverse myelitis
Paola Saroufim1, Sophia A Zweig2, Devon S Conway3
1Neuroimmunological Disorders Gene-Environment Epidemiology Laboratory, Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States; Institute for Computational Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States.
Insights
Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a higher likelihood of hypertension compared to controls. Cardiovascular disease burden is similar across demyelinating diseases and the general population.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Cardiology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Cardiovascular conditions are linked to worse outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS).
- The prevalence of cardiovascular conditions in demyelinating diseases compared to controls is not well understood.
- This study examines cardiovascular disease burden and onset age in MS, NMOSD, and TM patients versus controls.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and age of onset of cardiovascular conditions in a US population with MS, NMOSD, or TM.
- To compare cardiovascular disease burden between patients with demyelinating diseases and unaffected controls.
- To adjust for potential confounders including demographics and lifestyle factors.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study design was employed.
- Compared self-reported diabetes mellitus type 2, heart disease, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension in MS (N=1,548), NMOSD (N=306), TM (N=145) cases versus controls (N=677).
- Adjusted for demographics, smoking, obesity, family history, and co-existing cardiovascular conditions; compared age of onset.
Main Results:
- MS cases showed a 48% higher likelihood of ever having hypertension compared to controls (p=0.01).
- No significant differences in the prevalence of other cardiovascular conditions were observed between cases and controls.
- Age of onset for cardiovascular conditions did not differ between cases and controls.
Conclusions:
- Cardiovascular conditions are equally prevalent in individuals with demyelinating diseases and unaffected individuals.
- Hypertension is more common in individuals with MS compared to controls.
- Demyelinating diseases do not appear to increase the overall burden of cardiovascular conditions, apart from hypertension in MS.
Background:
Cardiovascular conditions are associated with poorer outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS). Whether the burden of cardiovascular conditions differs between those with demyelinating disease and unaffected controls is not clear. The objective of this study is to investigate the burden and age of onset of cardiovascular conditions in a US population with MS, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), or transverse myelitis (TM) to unaffected controls adjusting for likely confounders.
Methods:
Using a case-control study design, we compared the burden of self-reported diabetes mellitus type 2, heart disease, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension in cases with MS (N = 1,548), NMOSD (N = 306), and TM (N = 145) to controls (N = 677), adjusting for demographics, smoking history, obesity, family history of individual cardiovascular conditions, and presence of other cardiovascular conditions. The age of onset for individual cardiovascular conditions were also compared between cases and controls.
Results:
MS cases were 48% more likely to have ever had hypertension than controls (p = 0.01). The prevalence of other cardiovascular conditions did not differ across cases and controls. There were also no differences in the age of cardiovascular disease onset between cases and controls.
Conclusion:
Cardiovascular conditions are as common in those with demyelinating diseases compared to unaffected individuals, with hypertension being more common among those with MS.
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