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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 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]

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 Knowledge about long-term outcomes after medication withdrawal therapy for chronic headache, including tension type and migraine headache is lacking. Methods We re-examined 56 patients an average of nine years after they participated in a medication withdrawal study with a one-year follow-up. We collected and compared data on headache, use of medication, quality of life, quality of sleep, anxiety, depression, and labor participation one and nine years after the start of withdrawal therapy. Results Headache days per month decreased from 16.7 (14.0-19.3) at one year to 13.3 (10.6-15.9) at nine years (P = 0.007). The proportion of patients meeting the criteria for chronic headache decreased from 27/56 (48%) at one year to 18/56 (32%) at nine years (P = 0.004). Medication overuse was reported in seven (13%) patients at one year and 18 (32%) at nine years (P = 0.013). The majority of patients overusing medication at nine years (10/18) belonged to a group of 14 patients who had a poor early response to withdrawal therapy and had sustained chronic headache after nine years. After excluding patients receiving retirement pensions, the proportion who received disability benefits increased from 21/55 (38%) at one year to 30/49 (61%) at nine years (P = 0.003). Conclusion Improvements after withdrawal therapy for chronic headache last at least nine years, with a parallel increase in the use of disability benefits. However, a high proportion of patients with a poor initial response to withdrawal therapy and sustained chronic headache overuse medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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.

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.

Objective: We aimed to determine if the risk of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is associated with month of birth in Norway and to explore a possible latitudinal gradient., Methods: All patients with MS born between 1930 and 1979 registered in the Norwegian MS Registry or ascertained in Norwegian prevalence studies were included (n = 6649). The latitude gradient was divided in Southern, Middle and Northern Norway, according to the estimated regional yearly mean vitamin D effective UV dose., Results: Risk of MS was 11% higher for those born in April (p = 0.045), and 5% higher for those born in May (p = 0.229), 5% lower for those born in November (p = 0.302) and 12% lower for those born in February (p = 0.053) compared with the corresponding population, unaffected mothers and siblings. In Southern Norway the odds ratio of MS births in April and May was 1.05 (0.98-1.24), in Middle Norway 1.11 (0.97-1.27) and in Northern Norway 1.28 (1.0-1.63) compared with the other months., Conclusions: This study confirms previous reports of increased MS births in spring and decreased MS births in the winter months. This could support the role of decreased sunlight exposure during pregnancy and vitamin D deficiency in prenatal life in MS.