Smoking confirmed as MS risk factor
20th June 2014
Smoking is a clear risk factor for developing multiple sclerosis, which is even further elevated in smokers living at lower latitudes, an Australian meta-analysis finds.
Pooled data from 26 studies including over 8,600 cases of MS and 400,000 healthy controls showed smokers and ex-smokers had a 54% higher risk of MS.
There was little heterogeneity between the studies and even a more conservative selection of 19 studies produced a similar association between smoking and MS, the