Multiple sclerosis progression is not associated with birth timing in Italy

Background: Month of birth has been associated in some studies with the susceptibility to develop Multiple Sclerosis (MS). However, only few studies have evaluated whether birth timing also affects disease progression. Objectives: To assess whether season and month of birth are associated with disease progression in a large cohort of Italian patients. Methods: Quantile regression was used to analyze the impact of each month and season of birth with all the others combined on the median Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score of 1866 MS patients. Results: No significant temporal trend was found after adjustment for multiple comparisons. Conclusions: Birth timing showed no association with MS progression in Italian patients. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.