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MS: Vitamin D, birth month a risk factor; in ME/CFS too?

Messages
445
Location
Georgia
I have always considered ME/CFS to be a close sister to MS, even though neurologists will go to great pains to erect Berlin Walls with barbed wire and guard dogs between the two illnesses.

That's because they can see the disease process in MRIs of MS patients. There is no such evidence with ME/CFS, so we are left out as the unwanted stepchild. Neurologists are usually about most things, so they don't want to take any chances about being dolts about ME/CFS.

But if you were born in the spring months you are more likely to contract MS later in life. The mother having low Vitamin D in the last trimester seems to be a potent risk factor.

If you were gestating during those last three months when it was dark, gloomy and cold out it might affect your risk.

I have ME/CFS and I was born in early May. What month were you born?


ScienceDaily (Nov. 14, 2012) — The risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) is highest in the month of April, and lowest in October, indicates an analysis of the available evidence, published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.



The findings, which include several populations at latitudes greater than 52 degrees from the equator for the first time, strongly implicate maternal exposure to vitamin D during pregnancy.

They extend previous research and prompt the authors to conclude that there is now a strong case for vitamin D supplementation of pregnant women in countries where ultraviolet light levels are low between October and March.

The researchers compared previously published data on almost 152,000 people with MS with expected birth rates for the disease in bid to find out if there was any link between country of birth and risk of developing multiple sclerosis.

At latitudes greater than 52 degrees from the equator, insufficient ultraviolet light of the correct wavelength (290 to 315 nm) reaches the skin between October and March to enable the body to manufacture enough vitamin D during the winter months, say the authors.

The analysis indicated a significant excess risk of 5% among those born in April compared with what would be expected. Similarly, the risk of MS was 5 to 7% lower among those born between October and November, the data indicated.

In order to exclude wholly or partially overlapping data, and therefore the potential to skew the data, the authors carried out a further "conservative analysis" in which such studies were left out.
This reduced the number of people with MS to just under 78,500 and showed a clear link only between November and a reduced risk of MS.

But this result is likely to have been due to the fact that all the excluded studies involved countries more than 52 degrees from the equator, explain the authors.

When the same analysis was carried out again, but this time including all those involving people living in countries less than 52 degrees from the equator, the same seasonal trends were apparent.
There was a significant increase in risk among those born in April and May and a significantly lower risk among those born in October and November.

The analysis indicated a significant excess risk of 5% among those born in April compared with what would be expected. Similarly, the risk of MS was 5 to 7% lower among those born between October and November, the data indicated.

In order to exclude wholly or partially overlapping data, and therefore the potential to skew the data, the authors carried out a further "conservative analysis" in which such studies were left out.
This reduced the number of people with MS to just under 78,500 and showed a clear link only between November and a reduced risk of MS.

But this result is likely to have been due to the fact that all the excluded studies involved countries more than 52 degrees from the equator, explain the authors.

When the same analysis was carried out again, but this time including all those involving people living in countries less than 52 degrees from the equator, the same seasonal trends were apparent.
There was a significant increase in risk among those born in April and May and a significantly lower risk among those born in October and November.
 

Merry

Senior Member
Messages
1,378
Location
Columbus, Ohio, USA
December. My mother, who was also ill, was born in April. Three other family members with autistic characteristics were born in January, June, and December.

My cousins with MS were born in July and August.
 

Jammy88

Senior Member
Messages
163
Location
Italy
March, 21st. I've always been very 'receptive' to infections throughout all of my life. Was always kinda tired when I was a baby.
Now I'm dealing with an unknown infection triggering many neuro-symptoms (MS-like)