Salih Sajad H, Hashim Ali R, Hasrat Nazik H, Farid Hassan A
Medicine, Basrah Teaching Hospital/Basrah Health Directorate, Basrah, IRQ.
Medicine, College of Medicine/University of Basrah, Basrah, IRQ.
Cureus. 2025 Feb 4;17(2):e78530. doi: 10.7759/cureus.78530. eCollection 2025 Feb.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder affecting the central nervous system. It is characterized by inflammation, demyelination, and destruction of the axons. Obesity is a worldwide health issue that involves excessive accumulation of body fat, resulting in negative metabolic and health effects. The association between MS and obesity has received more attention in recent years.
The current study aims to evaluate the relationship between MS and obesity and determine whether obesity is a risk factor for MS development, relapse, and disability.
A case-control study was conducted at the Basrah Teaching Hospital MS clinic to compare 80 MS cases with 100 healthy controls, who were age- and sex-matched. Data collected from 1/6/2023 to 1/1/2024 includes sociodemographic factors, clinical characteristics, anthropometric measures, family and childhood obesity history, relapse frequency, and expanded disability status scale scores (EDSS).
The study compared 80 MS cases with 100 controls. While mean age differed slightly between MS cases (32.34 ± 9.28 years) and controls (30.58 ± 8.67 years), it was not significant (P = 0.196). Female predominance was noted in MS cases (66.3%, n = 53) versus controls (54.0%, n = 54), with no significant difference (P = 0.126). Among the MS cases, the majority exhibit relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) (73.7%, n = 59), followed by primary progressive MS (PPMS) (16.2%, n = 13), clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) (6.3%, n = 5), and secondary progressive MS (SPMS) (3.8%, n = 3). Childhood obesity was significantly associated with MS development (26.3%, n = 21 in MS cases vs. 1.0%, n = 1 in controls, P = 0.001). Body mass index (BMI) was significantly higher in MS cases (25.04 ± 3.61) than in controls (24.75 ± 3.37, P = 0.016), with a higher proportion of obesity (15.0%, n = 12 in MS cases vs. 5.0%, n = 5 in controls, P = 0.027). A moderate positive correlation existed between BMI and both relapse frequency (r = 0.610) and EDSS scores (r = 0.454), both statistically significant (P = 0.001).
The study found a significant association between increased BMI and MS occurrence, with strong associations to relapse frequency and EDSS scores. Childhood obesity was also linked to MS development, but not a family history of obesity. However, BMI alone may not reliably indicate an MS pattern.
多发性硬化症（MS）是一种影响中枢神经系统的慢性自身免疫性疾病。其特征为炎症、脱髓鞘以及轴突破坏。肥胖是一个全球性的健康问题，涉及体内脂肪过度堆积，会产生负面的代谢和健康影响。近年来，MS与肥胖之间的关联受到了更多关注。
本研究旨在评估MS与肥胖之间的关系，并确定肥胖是否为MS发生、复发及残疾的危险因素。
在巴士拉教学医院MS诊所开展了一项病例对照研究，以比较80例MS患者与100例年龄和性别匹配的健康对照者。收集的2023年6月1日至2024年1月1日的数据包括社会人口学因素、临床特征、人体测量指标、家族及儿童期肥胖史、复发频率以及扩展残疾状态量表评分（EDSS）。
该研究比较了80例MS患者与100例对照者。MS患者的平均年龄（32.34±9.28岁）与对照者（30.58±8.67岁）略有差异，但无统计学意义（P=0.196）。MS患者中女性占优势（66.3%，n=53），对照者中女性占54.0%（n=54），差异无统计学意义（P=0.126）。在MS患者中，大多数表现为复发缓解型MS（RRMS）（73.7%，n=59），其次是原发进展型MS（PPMS）（16.2%，n=13）、临床孤立综合征（CIS）（6.3%，n=5）和继发进展型MS（SPMS）（3.8%，n=3）。儿童期肥胖与MS发生显著相关（MS患者中为26.3%，n=21；对照者中为1.0%，n=1，P=0.001）。MS患者的体重指数（BMI）显著高于对照者（25.04±3.61）（对照者为24.75±3.37，P=0.016），肥胖比例更高（MS患者中为15.0%，n=12；对照者中为5.0%，n=5，P=0.027）。BMI与复发频率（r=0.610）和EDSS评分（r=0.454）之间均存在中度正相关，两者均具有统计学意义（P=0.001）。
该研究发现BMI升高与MS发生之间存在显著关联，与复发频率和EDSS评分也有密切关联。儿童期肥胖也与MS发生有关，但与肥胖家族史无关。然而，仅BMI可能无法可靠地表明MS模式。
