Center for Healthcare Studies, GEMS Department, Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ, USA.
Mult Scler. 2017 Dec;23(14):1839-1846. doi: 10.1177/1352458516688954. Epub 2017 Jan 12.
It is well known that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are very sensitive to heat events. However, how MS patients respond to the significant temperature difference between the high- and low-latitude regions is not understood.
The goal is to identify the primary factor responsible for the fact that MS mortality rates of the United States is more than three times higher in the northern states than in the southern states.
Correlation coefficients between the age-adjusted mortality rate of MS as the underlying cause of death and the state average temperature, altitude, latitude, duration of sunshine hours, and solar radiation in the 48 contiguous states were compared.
MS mortality rates correlate significantly and inversely with temperatures in the 48 states (correlation coefficient r = -0.812 and significance p = 0.00). Durations of sunshine hours and solar radiation do not correlate significantly with MS mortality rates ( r = -0.245, -0.14, and p = 0.101, 0.342, respectively).
High environmental temperature is the primary reason for the low MS mortality rates and likely the low MS prevalence in low-latitude regions. Implication of the study result is that benefits of long-term heat acclimation through gradual and prolonged exposure to environmental heat for MS patients may be greatly underappreciated.
众所周知，多发性硬化症（MS）患者对热事件非常敏感。然而，MS 患者对高、低纬度地区之间的巨大温差如何反应尚不清楚。
旨在确定导致美国多发性硬化症死亡率的主要因素，即美国北部各州的死亡率是南部各州的三倍以上。
比较了 48 个州中年龄调整后的多发性硬化症死亡率作为根本死因与州平均温度、海拔、纬度、日照小时数和太阳辐射之间的相关系数。
MS 死亡率与 48 个州的温度呈显著负相关（相关系数 r=-0.812，p=0.00）。日照小时数和太阳辐射与 MS 死亡率无显著相关性（r=-0.245、-0.14，p=0.101、0.342）。
环境温度高是低纬度地区 MS 死亡率低和 MS 患病率低的主要原因。研究结果表明，通过逐渐和长时间暴露于环境热来适应长期热的好处可能被大大低估。
