Animal exposure over the life-course and risk of multiple sclerosis: A case-control study within two cohorts of US women

Hilda J. de Jong; Helen Tremlett; Feng Zhu; Alberto Ascherio; Kassandra L. Munger

doi:10.1016/j.msard.2018.11.015

Animal exposure over the life-course and risk of multiple sclerosis: A case-control study within two cohorts of US women

Hilda J. de Jong, Helen Tremlett, Feng Zhu, Alberto Ascherio, Kassandra L. Munger^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

MHeNs - Neuroscience

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Background: Whether animal exposure and specifically the timing of such exposure alters multiple sclerosis (MS) risk is unclear. We examined whether animal exposure was associated with MS risk, and whether risk differed by the participants age.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study within the Nurses' Health Study ((NHS)/NHSII cohorts). Overall, 151 women with MS and 235 controls, matched by age and study cohort, completed an animal exposure history questionnaire. Animal exposure pre-MS onset was assessed as 'any' exposure, then by the participants age, and animal family. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate relative MS risks, adjusted (adj.RR) for potential confounders.

Results: 'Any' animal exposure was reported by 136 (90.1%) MS cases compared to 200 (85.1%) matched controls, with dog exposure being the most common [120 (79.5%) cases vs. 170 (72.3%) controls]. There was no association between 'any' animal exposure and MS risk (adj.RR:1.52;95%CI:0.76-3.04). However, both 'any' animal and specifically dog exposure at ages 10-14 years were associated with an increased MS risk (adj.RR:1.67;95%CI:1.05-2.66 and 1.76;95%CI:1.12-2.78, respectively).

Conclusion: Animal exposure, and specifically dog exposure, in early adolescence was associated with an increased risk of MS. Further work is needed to confirm this finding.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	327-332
Number of pages	6
Journal	Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders
Volume	27
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2018.11.015
Publication status	Published - Jan 2019

Keywords

Multiple sclerosis
Animal
Dog
Risk factor
Childhood
Epidemiology
Nested case-control study
POSSIBLE ASSOCIATION
PETS
EPIDEMIOLOGY
SOLVENTS
AGE
MS

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Cite this

@article{91f9229ae678498b9a11f49271f12228,

title = "Animal exposure over the life-course and risk of multiple sclerosis: A case-control study within two cohorts of US women",

abstract = "Background: Whether animal exposure and specifically the timing of such exposure alters multiple sclerosis (MS) risk is unclear. We examined whether animal exposure was associated with MS risk, and whether risk differed by the participants age.Methods: We conducted a case-control study within the Nurses' Health Study ((NHS)/NHSII cohorts). Overall, 151 women with MS and 235 controls, matched by age and study cohort, completed an animal exposure history questionnaire. Animal exposure pre-MS onset was assessed as 'any' exposure, then by the participants age, and animal family. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate relative MS risks, adjusted (adj.RR) for potential confounders.Results: 'Any' animal exposure was reported by 136 (90.1%) MS cases compared to 200 (85.1%) matched controls, with dog exposure being the most common [120 (79.5%) cases vs. 170 (72.3%) controls]. There was no association between 'any' animal exposure and MS risk (adj.RR:1.52;95%CI:0.76-3.04). However, both 'any' animal and specifically dog exposure at ages 10-14 years were associated with an increased MS risk (adj.RR:1.67;95%CI:1.05-2.66 and 1.76;95%CI:1.12-2.78, respectively).Conclusion: Animal exposure, and specifically dog exposure, in early adolescence was associated with an increased risk of MS. Further work is needed to confirm this finding.",

keywords = "Multiple sclerosis, Animal, Dog, Risk factor, Childhood, Epidemiology, Nested case-control study, POSSIBLE ASSOCIATION, PETS, EPIDEMIOLOGY, SOLVENTS, AGE, MS",

author = "{de Jong}, {Hilda J.} and Helen Tremlett and Feng Zhu and Alberto Ascherio and Munger, {Kassandra L.}",

note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the Martha Piper Research Fund, University of British Columbia, Canada and the US National Institutes of Health[grant numbers UM1 CA186107 and UM1 CA176726]. The funder had no role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018",

year = "2019",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1016/j.msard.2018.11.015",

language = "English",

volume = "27",

pages = "327--332",

journal = "Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders",

issn = "2211-0348",

publisher = "ELSEVIER SCI LTD",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Animal exposure over the life-course and risk of multiple sclerosis

T2 - A case-control study within two cohorts of US women

AU - de Jong, Hilda J.

AU - Tremlett, Helen

AU - Zhu, Feng

AU - Ascherio, Alberto

AU - Munger, Kassandra L.

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the Martha Piper Research Fund, University of British Columbia, Canada and the US National Institutes of Health[grant numbers UM1 CA186107 and UM1 CA176726]. The funder had no role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication. Publisher Copyright: © 2018

PY - 2019/1

Y1 - 2019/1

N2 - Background: Whether animal exposure and specifically the timing of such exposure alters multiple sclerosis (MS) risk is unclear. We examined whether animal exposure was associated with MS risk, and whether risk differed by the participants age.Methods: We conducted a case-control study within the Nurses' Health Study ((NHS)/NHSII cohorts). Overall, 151 women with MS and 235 controls, matched by age and study cohort, completed an animal exposure history questionnaire. Animal exposure pre-MS onset was assessed as 'any' exposure, then by the participants age, and animal family. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate relative MS risks, adjusted (adj.RR) for potential confounders.Results: 'Any' animal exposure was reported by 136 (90.1%) MS cases compared to 200 (85.1%) matched controls, with dog exposure being the most common [120 (79.5%) cases vs. 170 (72.3%) controls]. There was no association between 'any' animal exposure and MS risk (adj.RR:1.52;95%CI:0.76-3.04). However, both 'any' animal and specifically dog exposure at ages 10-14 years were associated with an increased MS risk (adj.RR:1.67;95%CI:1.05-2.66 and 1.76;95%CI:1.12-2.78, respectively).Conclusion: Animal exposure, and specifically dog exposure, in early adolescence was associated with an increased risk of MS. Further work is needed to confirm this finding.

AB - Background: Whether animal exposure and specifically the timing of such exposure alters multiple sclerosis (MS) risk is unclear. We examined whether animal exposure was associated with MS risk, and whether risk differed by the participants age.Methods: We conducted a case-control study within the Nurses' Health Study ((NHS)/NHSII cohorts). Overall, 151 women with MS and 235 controls, matched by age and study cohort, completed an animal exposure history questionnaire. Animal exposure pre-MS onset was assessed as 'any' exposure, then by the participants age, and animal family. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate relative MS risks, adjusted (adj.RR) for potential confounders.Results: 'Any' animal exposure was reported by 136 (90.1%) MS cases compared to 200 (85.1%) matched controls, with dog exposure being the most common [120 (79.5%) cases vs. 170 (72.3%) controls]. There was no association between 'any' animal exposure and MS risk (adj.RR:1.52;95%CI:0.76-3.04). However, both 'any' animal and specifically dog exposure at ages 10-14 years were associated with an increased MS risk (adj.RR:1.67;95%CI:1.05-2.66 and 1.76;95%CI:1.12-2.78, respectively).Conclusion: Animal exposure, and specifically dog exposure, in early adolescence was associated with an increased risk of MS. Further work is needed to confirm this finding.

KW - Multiple sclerosis

KW - Animal

KW - Dog

KW - Risk factor

KW - Childhood

KW - Epidemiology

KW - Nested case-control study

KW - POSSIBLE ASSOCIATION

KW - PETS

KW - EPIDEMIOLOGY

KW - SOLVENTS

KW - AGE

KW - MS

U2 - 10.1016/j.msard.2018.11.015

DO - 10.1016/j.msard.2018.11.015

M3 - Article

C2 - 30471586

SN - 2211-0348

VL - 27

SP - 327

EP - 332

JO - Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders

JF - Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders

ER -