Mar 20, 2003
Immunotherapy Weekly
NewsRx.com
According to recent research from Finland, "Infectious viruses and bacteria can trigger multiple sclerosis (MS) exacerbations. Seasonally changing concentrations of ambient air pollutants are known to predispose to transmissible infections, to induce systemic immune responses and to enhance existing peripheral inflammation. Ambient air quality and monthly MS relapse occurrence in southwestern Finland were compared by multivariate logistic regression.
"The odds ratio of the risk of a relapse onset was over fourfold (4.143, p<0.001) when the concentration of inhalable particulate matter (PM10) was at the highest quartile. Inhalable airborne particulate matter concentrations were connected to relapse occurrence. Poor air quality may enhance the seasonal changes in MS relapse occurrence by an increased susceptibility to transmissible infections," wrote M. Oikonen and colleagues, Turku University, Department of Biology.
Oikonen and colleagues published their study in Neuroepidemiology (Ambient air quality and occurrence of multiple sclerosis relapse. Neuroepidemiology, 2003;22(1):95-99).
For additional information, contact M. Oikonen, Turku University, Department of Biology, Sect Ecology, Aerobiol Unit, FIN-20014 Turku, Finland.
To subscribe to the journal Neuroepidemiology, contact the publisher: Karger, Allschwilerstrasse 10, CH-4009 Basel, Switzerland.
The information in this article comes under the major subject areas
of Bacteriology, Multiple Sclerosis, Environmental Exposure, Transmissible
Infection, Airborne Disease, Disease Susceptibility, Immunology, Infectious
Disease, Autoimmune Disease, Neurology, Epidemiology and Pulmonology. This
article was prepared by Immunotherapy Weekly editors from staff and other
reports.
© Copyright 2003, Immunotherapy Weekly