EP09
High Body Mass Index and Weight in Young Adulthood Is Associated with a Younger Age of MS Symptom Onset and Diagnosis
Recent studies have linked early life obesity to a higher risk of developing adult onset Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and pediatric MS. Obesity in young adulthood is rising rapidly and therefore it is important to investigate these issues with MS onset. Currently, it is unknown whether weight is related to age at MS onset.
Objectives:
To investigate retrospectively whether increased weight or body mass index (BMI) in young adulthood is associated with age at MS symptom onset and diagnosis.
Methods:
Our sample is comprised of a sub-group of 237 women registered with the New York State MS Consortium (NYSMSC) who completed an extensive questionnaire about reproductive events and are treated at our MS care center. Subjects were asked to recall their weight at the time of first menstruation and at age 25. BMI was calculated accordingly for age 25 but not extended to time of first menstruation, since height measures in adolescence could not reliably be deduced. Regression analyses were carried out to investigate the association between weight or BMI as a continuous measure, and age at MS onset and diagnosis. Additionally, overweight and non-overweight people were compared based on a division of BMI ≥25 vs. <25.
Results:
Weight (in lbs) of subjects at their first menstruation was significantly related to younger age at onset (β=-.273, p<.001) and diagnosis (β=-.296, p<.001). These results were also found at age 25 for onset (β=-.272, p<.001) and diagnosis (β=-.304, p<.001). Subjects with higher BMI at 25 years old were younger at onset (β=-.221, p=.002) and diagnosis (β=-.253, p<.001). Additional analyses between overweight and non-overweight subjects showed that overweight subjects at age 25 had a significantly earlier age at onset (27.1±10.1 vs. 31.7±8.7, p=.008) and diagnosis (31.2±9.9 vs. 35.5±8.4, p=.009).
Conclusions:
Patients who reported having a higher weight and BMI in early adulthood were younger at MS symptom onset and MS diagnosis. Future research has to investigate whether there is a causal link between body weight and MS, as there may be underlying genetic - or environmental factors, such as vitamin D deficiency, which could influence the results.