MS Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Neuroepidemiology. 2014;43(3-4):233-8. doi: 10.1159/000368553. Epub 2014 Dec 9.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) incidence has dramatically increased in Tehran, Iran. The health impact of air pollution in Tehran underscores the attention to a possible association to this environmental risk factor. In this study, the authors aimed to analyze the spatial distribution of prevalent MS cases and their association with the spatial patterns of air pollution.
Patient records meeting McDonald's criteria for definite MS diagnosis with disease onset during 2003-2013 were obtained. Next, the location of 2,188 patients was successfully geo-referenced within Tehran metropolis by geographic information system (GIS) bureau of Iran's post office based on their phone numbers. A cluster analysis was performed using the average nearest neighbor index (ANNI) and quadrat analysis. The long-term exposures of MS patients to particulate matter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) were estimated using the previously developed land use regression models.
Prevalent MS cases had a clustered pattern in Tehran. A significant difference in exposure to PM10, SO2, NO2, and NOx (p < 0.001) was observed in MS cases compared with controls.
This study revealed the potential role of long-term exposure to air pollutants as an environmental risk factor in MS.
多发性硬化症（MS）在伊朗德黑兰的发病率显著增加。德黑兰空气污染对健康的影响突显了对这种环境风险因素可能关联的关注。在这项研究中，作者旨在分析流行 MS 病例的空间分布及其与空气污染空间模式的关联。
收集了 2003-2013 年发病的符合麦克唐纳多发性硬化症诊断标准的患者记录。接下来，通过伊朗邮政局的地理信息系统（GIS）局，根据患者的电话号码，成功地将 2188 名患者的位置在德黑兰大都市进行了地理参考。使用平均最近邻指数（ANNI）和四分位数分析进行聚类分析。使用先前开发的土地利用回归模型来估计 MS 患者对颗粒物（PM10）、二氧化硫（SO2）、氮氧化物（NO）、二氧化氮（NO2）和氮氧化物（NOx）的长期暴露情况。
在德黑兰，流行的 MS 病例呈聚集模式。与对照组相比，MS 病例对 PM10、SO2、NO2 和 NOx 的暴露存在显著差异（p<0.001）。
这项研究揭示了长期暴露于空气污染物作为 MS 的环境风险因素的潜在作用。
