BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies on the association between allergic disorders, T-helper type 2 (Th2) mediated, and multiple sclerosis (MS), a T-helper type 1 (Th1)/Th17-mediated disease, provided conflicting results. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to further examine the association between allergic disorders and MS. METHODS: The association between MS and previous medical history of any type of allergy has been investigated in a population-based case-control study conducted in Northern Italy, based on telephone interviews to 423 cases and 643 population controls (refusal rates 3.7% and 9.4%, respectively). Controls were a random sample of the general population. RESULTS: A history of atopic allergies seems to confer protection against MS (odds ratio [OR], 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.38-0.89; P = 0.012). In particular, the prevalence of allergic asthma was 4.9% in people with MS and 12% in control subjects (OR = 0.38; 95% CI 0.22-0.66, P < 0.01). No association was found between MS and nonatopic allergies. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are confirmatory of the putative protective effect of Th2-mediated disorders on Th1 immune responses associated with MS. A unifying theory on the mechanisms by which previous history of atopic allergies may modify the risk of MS is still lacking.
BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies on the association between allergic disorders, T-helper type 2 (Th2) mediated, and multiple sclerosis (MS), a T-helper type 1 (Th1)/Th17-mediated disease, provided conflicting results. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to further examine the association between allergic disorders and MS. METHODS: The association between MS and previous medical history of any type of allergy has been investigated in a population-based case-control study conducted in Northern Italy, based on telephone interviews to 423 cases and 643 population controls (refusal rates 3.7% and 9.4%, respectively). Controls were a random sample of the general population. RESULTS: A history of atopic allergies seems to confer protection against MS (odds ratio [OR], 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.38-0.89; P = 0.012). In particular, the prevalence of allergic asthma was 4.9% in people with MS and 12% in control subjects (OR = 0.38; 95% CI 0.22-0.66, P < 0.01). No association was found between MS and nonatopic allergies. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are confirmatory of the putative protective effect of Th2-mediated disorders on Th1 immune responses associated with MS. A unifying theory on the mechanisms by which previous history of atopic allergies may modify the risk of MS is still lacking.
Authors: Mireia Guerau-de-Arellano; Kristen M Smith; Jakub Godlewski; Yue Liu; Ryan Winger; Sean E Lawler; Caroline C Whitacre; Michael K Racke; Amy E Lovett-Racke Journal: Brain Date: 2011-11-15 Impact factor: 13.501
Authors: Theresa Bourne; Michael Waltz; T C Casper; K Kavak; G Aaen; A Belman; L Benson; M Candee; T Chitnis; J Graves; B Greenberg; M Gorman; Y Harris; L Krupp; T Lotze; S Mar; J Ness; C Olsen; S Roalstad; M Rodriguez; J Rose; J Rubin; T Schreiner; J M Tillema; I Kahn; A Waldman; L Barcellos; E Waubant; B Weinstock-Guttman Journal: J Neurol Sci Date: 2017-02-20 Impact factor: 3.181
Authors: Ruth Ann Marrie; Nadia Reider; Olaf Stuve; Maria Trojano; Per Soelberg Sorensen; Gary R Cutter; Stephen C Reingold; Jeffrey Cohen Journal: Mult Scler Date: 2014-12-23 Impact factor: 6.312
Authors: Ruth Ann Marrie; Jeffrey Cohen; Olaf Stuve; Maria Trojano; Per Soelberg Sørensen; Stephen Reingold; Gary Cutter; Nadia Reider Journal: Mult Scler Date: 2015-01-26 Impact factor: 6.312