The onset of multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system, can be delayed if in the teenage years spend more time in the sun.

This is evidenced by the results of a new study published in the journal Neurology.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke (NINDS), in the United States there are 250-300 thousand patients with multiple sclerosis.

Every week, an average of 200 cases of this disease are diagnosed in this country.

The course of multiple sclerosis may be different. In some, this disease is easy, in others it rapidly destroys the nervous system and leads to disability. The first sign of multiple sclerosis is often blurred vision and double vision. People with multiple sclerosis complain of muscle weakness and problems with coordination and balance.

In severe cases, multiple sclerosis causes paralysis, deprives people of the ability to walk, write or speak. Most patients note the first symptoms of multiple sclerosis at the age of 20 to 40 years. The disease is considered incurable.

A previous study linked the risk of multiple sclerosis with obesity in childhood and adolescence. Note that obesity itself is associated with a low content of vitamin D in the body. Taking this into account, a group of scientists from the Copenhagen University Hospital (Denmark) decided to learn more about the relationship between multiple sclerosis and the level of vitamin D in adolescence.

In their study, 1161 patients with multiple sclerosis from Denmark. All participants filled out questionnaires in which they reported their lifestyle now and in the past, and also donated blood for analysis. Participants were divided into groups, depending on the amount of time spent in the sun in adolescence. Also, all participants were asked whether they used up to 20 years of vitamin D and fish oil.

88% of participants in the teenage years were exposed to the sun every day, and in this group, as it turned out, the symptoms of multiple sclerosis developed an average of two years later than patients who in the past preferred to stay at home (32.9 years against 31.0 ) In addition, the disease developed an average of one and a half years earlier in those people who in adolescence had excessive body weight and obesity. For some reason, people who once weighed less than normal showed symptoms of multiple sclerosis on average three years later than the rest.

Dr. Julia Laursen, lead author of the study, says:

"The relationship between multiple sclerosis and weight may be due to a lack of vitamin D, but we do not have direct evidence. The same is explained by the connection revealed in the course of our work: in adolescents who do not get much on the street, the level of vitamin D. In general, the factors that affect the development of multiple sclerosis are complex and have not been sufficiently studied. We are at the very beginning of this path ".

medbe. en.

Keywords:.