Fattori ormonali e rischio di sclerosi multipla nelle donne italiane: the EnvIMS study

Aim: Sex-related hormonal factors may influence the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), although literature data are controversial. Using data from a large case-control study, we investigated the association between several hormonal factors and the risk of MS in the Italian female population.Methods: A self-administered postal questionnaire (EnvIMS-Q) which included a set of questions about age at menarche, pregnancy, contraceptives use, hirsutism was sent to individuals with MS and frequency age and sex-matched controls from Italy. The association was examined with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) using logistic regression and adjusting for covariates as age at the study, smoking and BMI.Results: The data-set included 1240 women (414 cases and 826 controls). Valid answers to the specific questions were given by a percentage between 93 and 98% of the sample. No evidence of an association was found between MS and age at menarche (OR: 0,92; 95% CI: 0,71-1,20), past pregnancy (OR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.69-1.11), contraceptive use (OR: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.73-1.21) and hirsutism (OR: 0,97; 95% CI: 0,64-1,49).Conclusion: Our results on a very large population showed no association between some of the most important sex hormonal factors and MS risk. This is in line with several literature data.