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The catch? This only applies to women, specifically Danish women, between the ages of 15-19. I know, bummer. But for the young Frejas, Gittes and Ingeborgs of the world, cheers. - D
Alcohol consumption in adolescence is associated with a lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis in Danish women
C. Andersen1, H.B. Søndergaard1, J.H. Laursen1, S. Gustavsen1, N.K. Larsen1, M. Magyari1,2, E. Just-Østergaard3, L.W. Thørner4, F. Sellebjerg1, H. Ullum5, A.B. Oturai1 1Neurology, Danish Multiple Sclerosis Center, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, 2The Danish Multiple Sclerosis Registry, Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, 3Department of Public Health, Unit of Medical Psycology, Copenhagen University, 4Department of Clinical Immunology, Blood Bank, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, 5Department of Clinical Immunology, Copenhagen University Hospital Biobank Unit, Section for Virology, Copenhagen, Denmark
Background: Environmental factors are shown to be important in the aetiology of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, studies of the association between alcohol consumption and MS have shown conflicting results. Due to the possible existence of a vulnerable period of MS susceptibility in adolescence and the fact that Danish teenagers have a high alcohol consumption, the present study has focused on the association between alcohol consumption from age 15 to 19 and the risk of developing MS.
Objective: To investigate the association between alcohol consumption in adolescence and the risk of developing MS in Danes.
Methods: We conducted a case-control study, including Danish patients with MS and healthy Danish blood donors, who filled in a comprehensive environmental and lifestyle questionnaire. Of 2775 patients with MS, 2058 answered the questionnaire (74 %). The donors were recruited from five major donor locations. Two of these were able to calculate the response rates of 75% and 90%. In total, data from 7289 individuals (2058 cases and 5231 controls) were collected from 2009 to 2014.
Of these, 529 were excluded due to other ethnicity than Nordic, 248 for age corrections and 3 due to missing data on alcohol consumption. Thus, a total of 1824 cases (1295 females, 529 males) and 4685 controls (2113 females, 2572 males) were included in the analyses. The recommended amount of alcohol intake by the Danish Health Authority is below 7 units per week for women and below 14 for men. We used logistic regression to investigate the association between alcohol consumption above and below the recommendations at age 15 to 19 and the risk of MS. Analyses were stratified by sex and adjusted for selected confounders.
Results: We found a statistically significant inverse association between alcohol consumption at age 15 to 19 and risk of developing MS in females. Females who reported an average consumption above 7 units per week had an odds ratio (OR) of 0.76 (95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.62-0.92) compared to females drinking below 7 units per week. An insignificant positive association was found among males (OR= 1.27 (95% CI: 0.98-1.63).
Conclusion: We found that alcohol consumption above 7 units per week from age 15 to 19 is associated with a lower risk of developing MS among Danish females.
Alcohol consumption in adolescence is associated with a lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis in Danish women
C. Andersen1, H.B. Søndergaard1, J.H. Laursen1, S. Gustavsen1, N.K. Larsen1, M. Magyari1,2, E. Just-Østergaard3, L.W. Thørner4, F. Sellebjerg1, H. Ullum5, A.B. Oturai1 1Neurology, Danish Multiple Sclerosis Center, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, 2The Danish Multiple Sclerosis Registry, Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, 3Department of Public Health, Unit of Medical Psycology, Copenhagen University, 4Department of Clinical Immunology, Blood Bank, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, 5Department of Clinical Immunology, Copenhagen University Hospital Biobank Unit, Section for Virology, Copenhagen, Denmark
Background: Environmental factors are shown to be important in the aetiology of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, studies of the association between alcohol consumption and MS have shown conflicting results. Due to the possible existence of a vulnerable period of MS susceptibility in adolescence and the fact that Danish teenagers have a high alcohol consumption, the present study has focused on the association between alcohol consumption from age 15 to 19 and the risk of developing MS.
Objective: To investigate the association between alcohol consumption in adolescence and the risk of developing MS in Danes.
Methods: We conducted a case-control study, including Danish patients with MS and healthy Danish blood donors, who filled in a comprehensive environmental and lifestyle questionnaire. Of 2775 patients with MS, 2058 answered the questionnaire (74 %). The donors were recruited from five major donor locations. Two of these were able to calculate the response rates of 75% and 90%. In total, data from 7289 individuals (2058 cases and 5231 controls) were collected from 2009 to 2014.
Of these, 529 were excluded due to other ethnicity than Nordic, 248 for age corrections and 3 due to missing data on alcohol consumption. Thus, a total of 1824 cases (1295 females, 529 males) and 4685 controls (2113 females, 2572 males) were included in the analyses. The recommended amount of alcohol intake by the Danish Health Authority is below 7 units per week for women and below 14 for men. We used logistic regression to investigate the association between alcohol consumption above and below the recommendations at age 15 to 19 and the risk of MS. Analyses were stratified by sex and adjusted for selected confounders.
Results: We found a statistically significant inverse association between alcohol consumption at age 15 to 19 and risk of developing MS in females. Females who reported an average consumption above 7 units per week had an odds ratio (OR) of 0.76 (95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.62-0.92) compared to females drinking below 7 units per week. An insignificant positive association was found among males (OR= 1.27 (95% CI: 0.98-1.63).
Conclusion: We found that alcohol consumption above 7 units per week from age 15 to 19 is associated with a lower risk of developing MS among Danish females.
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