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Comorbidity and cardiovascular risk factors in multiple sclerosis
Mahdi Barzegar1,2, Sara Samadzadeh3,4,5, Kosar Kohandel6
1Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Insights
Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) frequently experience comorbidities, including cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance are common in this population, often linked to disability.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Cardiology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is often associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and their risk factors.
- Investigating comorbidity prevalence in patients with MS (pwMS) is crucial for comprehensive care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of comorbidities, particularly CVD, in patients with multiple sclerosis.
- To assess the association between comorbidity, disability, and cardiovascular risk in pwMS.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective and prospective study of two MS cohorts (Tehran and Isfahan).
- Biomedical parameters measured, including metabolic syndrome (MetS) and insulin resistance (IR).
- 10-year Framingham risk score (FRS) calculated for cardiovascular risk assessment.
Main Results:
- 38.4% of pwMS had at least one comorbidity; 11.3% had multiple comorbidities.
- Comorbidity prevalence increased with age and was associated with higher disability (EDSS ≥ 4).
- Metabolic syndrome (MetS) found in 13.7% and insulin resistance (IR) in 41.6% of assessed pwMS.
Conclusions:
- Patients with MS exhibit a high prevalence of comorbidities, linked to disability and elevated cardiovascular risk.
- Metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance are frequently observed in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Background And Objectives:
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and their risk factors supposedly occur frequently in patients with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). We investigated prevalence of comorbidity particularly CVD among pwMS.
Methods:
Two cohorts from Tehran and Isfahan were investigated retrospectively with longitudinal follow up and were invited to participate prospectively with measurement of biomedical parameters including determination of metabolic syndrome (MetS), and insulin resistance (IR). The 10-year office-based Framingham risk score (FRS) was calculated.
Results:
Out of 856 pwMS 329 (38.4%) had at least one comorbidity and 97 (11.3%) had > 2 diseases, i.e., multiple comorbidity. PwMS and comorbidity were older (p < 0.0001) and had higher age at MS onset (p < 0.0001) compared to the non-comorbidity group. The prevalence of comorbidity increased from 24.0% at age 15-29 years to 37.3% at 30-49 and to 52.6% at 50-76 years (p < 0.0001) and was associated with odds of EDSS ≥ 4. FRS was for men 7.1 (4.2, 10.5) and for women 2.0 (1.3, 3.4). Of 255 with prospective blood testing, 35 (13.7%) had MetS, and 106 (41.6%) had IR.
Conclusion:
A high prevalence of comorbidity, associated with disability and high FRS was observed in pwMS. Our data suggest that MetS and IR occur frequently in this population.
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