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Background: Risk of cancer in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients compared to their siblings is unknown. Objective: The objective was to prospectively investigate the risk of cancer among MS patients compared to siblings without MS and to population controls. Methods: We retrieved data on MS patients born between 1930 and 1979 from the Norwegian Multiple Sclerosis Registry and population studies and on cancer diagnosis from the Cancer Registry of Norway. We used adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression to estimate cancer risk among 6883 MS patients, 8918 siblings without MS, and 37,919 population controls. Results: During 65 years of follow-up, cancer risk among MS patients was higher than that among population controls (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05–1.23) in respiratory organs (HR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.26–2.19), urinary organs (HR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.12–2.04), and the central nervous system (HR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.11–2. 09). Siblings had higher risk of hematological cancers compared with MS patients (HR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.21–2.73) and population controls (HR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.36–2.18). Conclusion: MS patients were associated with increased risk of cancer compared to population controls. Siblings had increased risk of hematological cancer. This indicates that MS and hematological cancer could share a common etiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim was to investigate predictive values of coping styles, clinical and demographic factors on time to unemployment in patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) during 1998–2002 in Norway. Method: All patients (N = 108) diagnosed with MS 1998–2002 in Hordaland and Rogaland counties, Western Norway, were invited to participate in the long-term follow-up study in 2002. Baseline recordings included disability scoring (Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)), fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS)), depression (Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)), and questionnaire assessing coping (the Dispositional Coping Styles Scale (COPE)). Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with unemployed at baseline, and Cox regression analysis to identify factors at baseline associated with time to unemployment during follow-up. Results: In all, 41 (44%) were employed at baseline. After 13 years follow-up in 2015, mean disease duration of 22 years, 16 (17%) were still employed. Median time from baseline to unemployment was 6 years (±5). Older age at diagnosis, female gender, and depression were associated with patients being unemployed at baseline. Female gender, long disease duration, and denial as avoidant coping strategy at baseline predicted shorter time to unemployment. Conclusion: Avoidant coping style, female gender, and longer disease duration were associated with shorter time to unemployment. These factors should be considered when advising patients on MS and future employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The conflicting results from studies on socioeconomic status (SES) and multiple sclerosis (MS) risk might be due to a change in the distribution of environmental exposures over time or to methodological limitations in previous research. Objective: To examine the association between SES and MS risk during 50 years. Methods: We included patients registered in Norwegian MS registries and prevalence studies born between 1930 and 1979, and identified their siblings and parents using the Norwegian Population Registry. Information on education was retrieved from the National Education Registry, categorized into four levels (primary, secondary, undergraduate and graduate) and compared in patients and siblings using conditional logistic regression. Results: A total of 4494 MS patients and 9193 of their siblings were included in the analyses. Level of education was inversely associated with MS risk (p trend < 0.001) with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.73 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.59–0.90) when comparing the highest and lowest levels. The effect estimates did not vary markedly between participants born before or after the median year of birth (1958), but we observed a significant effect modification by parental education (p = 0.047). Conclusion: Level of education was inversely associated with MS risk, and the estimates were similar in the earliest and latest birth cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore how persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience participating in inpatient rehabilitation, and how it might provide psychosocial benefits. Method: Ten participants with MS who had completed inpatient rehabilitation in Norway and on Tenerife participated in two focus groups. A semi-structured interview protocol was used. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis informed by a phenomenological perspective. Results: During inpatient rehabilitation participants shared experiences with symptoms of the disease, of social stigma and coping strategies. They communicated experiences of living with MS and they created a sense of community, they became 'colleagues'. This experience gave rise to mutual recognition of ability, impairment, self and identity, and thus facilitated personal empowerment to counteract social stigma through adequate coping strategies. Conclusion: Participating in inpatient rehabilitation gave people with MS the possibility to exchange information and communicate strategies for coping with the disease-related conditions and societal demands. They established social relations recognizing each other's resources. Participants felt equipped to make decisions and to mobilize individual and collective resources. Recognition of the individual with both ability and impairment can be a key to empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses study which aims to determine if the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) is linked with month of birth in Norway and to explore latitudinal gradient. The study employs latitudinal analysis, Poisson distribution, and IBM SPSS statistics 20. Results confirm the previous study on the increased MS births in spring and a decrease in winter. It adds that the results support role of decreased sunlight exposure in time of pregnancy and vitamin D deficiency in prenatal life in MS.

Background: The conflicting results from studies on socioeconomic status (SES) and multiple sclerosis (MS) risk might be due to a change in the distribution of environmental exposures over time or to methodological limitations in previous research., Objective: To examine the association between SES and MS risk during 50 years., Methods: We included patients registered in Norwegian MS registries and prevalence studies born between 1930 and 1979, and identified their siblings and parents using the Norwegian Population Registry. Information on education was retrieved from the National Education Registry, categorized into four levels (primary, secondary, undergraduate and graduate) and compared in patients and siblings using conditional logistic regression., Results: A total of 4494 MS patients and 9193 of their siblings were included in the analyses. Level of education was inversely associated with MS risk ( p trend < 0.001) with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.73 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.59-0.90) when comparing the highest and lowest levels. The effect estimates did not vary markedly between participants born before or after the median year of birth (1958), but we observed a significant effect modification by parental education ( p = 0.047)., Conclusion: Level of education was inversely associated with MS risk, and the estimates were similar in the earliest and latest birth cohorts., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: EG Celius has received funding for travel, advice and speaker’s fees from Sanofi-Aventis, Merck-Serono, Genzyme, Biogen Idec, Roche, Teva, Almirall and Novartis, and received unrestricted research support from Biogen Idec and Novartis. KM Myhr has participated on scientific advisory boards for Novartis Norway, Biogen Idec, Genzyme and Roche; received funding for travel from Allergan, Bayer, Novartis, Merck-Serono and Biogen; received speaker honoraria from Allergan, Almirall, Bayer, Biogen, Genzyme, Novartis, Merck-Serono and Teva; and received unrestricted research support from Bayer, Genzyme, Novartis, Merck-Serono, Biogen, Pronova Biocare and Bergen and Norwegian MS Society. Ø Torkildsen has served on scientific advisory boards for Biogen Idec, Genzyme and Merck-Serono and received speaker honoraria and travel grants from Genzyme, Merck-Serono, Novartis and Biogen Idec.