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Updated: Aug 16, 2025
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A Method of Trigonometric Modelling of Seasonal Variation Demonstrated with Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Data
Published on: December 9, 2015
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Trends in the environmental risks associated with earlier onset in multiple sclerosis
Jesse Huang1, Ingrid Kockum1, Pernilla Stridh1
1The Karolinska Neuroimmunology & Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Karolinska Institutet and Centrum for Molecular Medicine, L8:05, Stockholm SE-171 76, Sweden.
Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders
|December 22, 2022
Summary
Environmental factors like sun exposure, BMI, and smoking influence multiple sclerosis (MS) onset age. Recent trends suggest smoking is linked to later onset, while sun exposure and BMI show varied associations, requiring further study.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Environmental Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) risk is linked to sunlight/vitamin D, body mass index (BMI), and smoking.
- Associations between these factors and MS disease progression, specifically age at onset, are inconsistent.
- Historical changes in human-environment interactions may explain these inconsistencies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate historical trends in the association between environmental risk factors and age at MS onset.
- To evaluate the relationship between vitamin D, BMI, smoking, and age at MS onset over time.
Main Methods:
- Narrative review of literature from MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science.
- Analysis of studies on vitamin D, BMI, and smoking in relation to early/pediatric MS and age at onset.
- Plotting measures by average calendar year of disease onset to examine temporal trends.
Main Results:
- Higher sun exposure correlated with older age at MS onset.
- Higher adolescent BMI was generally linked to younger age at onset.
- Tobacco smoking was associated with later disease onset, with this association strengthening in more recent studies.
Conclusions:
- Environmental factors including sun exposure, adolescent BMI, and tobacco smoking are likely associated with age at MS onset.
- Observed inconsistencies and potential temporal shifts in these associations warrant further investigation.
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