NARCOMS Report-Recent Research Findings (re: MS)

[Neon Beach]

Introduction
The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) started the NARCOMS project in 1993 to aid multiple sclerosis (MS) research. More than 32,000 persons have enrolled in the NARCOMS Registry since 1996, when enrollment first opened. Participants are from the United States, Canada, and over 50 other countries around the world. After ten years of work, the value of the NARCOMS project is being demonstrated with a growing number of publications and presentations. We are very pleased to share some of the more recent research findings with you.

Environmental Factors
Three NARCOMS presentations at recent national meetings focused on environmental factors (such as sunlight exposure) in MS. Previous studies suggested a seasonal pattern to MS births (James, 1995; Willer et al., 2005). These studies found a higher fraction of MS births in the late spring implying that the pregnancy was occurring over months of low sunlight exposure, and a lower fraction of births occur in early winter following pregnancies that take place over high sunlight periods (James, 1995; Willer et al., 2005). We examined season of birth among 10,247 American NARCOMS participants, born in the Northern United States. Unlike other studies, we did not find a seasonal pattern to MS births. The greatest number of births was in September (933) and the fewest were in February (746); this difference was not meaningful (Figure 1).

We did find, however, that NARCOMS participants are more likely to be born in northern latitudes than expected. About 29% of the US population was born north of 42 degrees latitude. More than 40% of NARCOMS participants were born north of 42 degrees latitude (Figure 2). This finding is consistent with previous migration studies; that is, studies of persons who move between areas with differing risks of MS. Prior studies of persons moving between the northern and southern parts of the US suggested that exposures during early life affect the risk of developing MS ( Detels et al., 1978). Factors being studied include infections, sunlight, vitamin D, and diet (Detels).

Complete Report