Abstract Details

Title Latitude Has More Significant Impact on Prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis Than Ultraviolet Level or Sun Exposure in Japanese Population

Topic MS and Related Diseases

Presentation(s) P05 - (-)

Poster/Presentation
Number 132

Objective

Background BACKGROUND: Higher latitude is known to associate with higher prevalence of MS, however, it has not been established whether or not that is solely attributed to the effect of UV radiation. Japan has 47 prefectures with a variety of climates because of its wide range of latitude stretching from 24[deg] to 46[deg] north.

Design/Methods DESIGN/METHODS: MS prevalence in each prefecture was collected from database of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan. Latitude of each prefecture was represented by that of the capital city. Data of UV radiation level and annual sun exposure time was obtained from databases of Japan Meteorological Agency. We performed linear correlation analyses of MS prevalence against latitude, UV radiation, and sun exposure.

Results RESULTS: MS prevalence significantly correlated to latitude (Pearson's correlation, p<0.001, r=0.069) and UV radiation level (p<0.001, r=-0.64) but not to annual sun exposure time (p=0.18). Hierarchical stepwise multiple linear regression analyses revealed significant correlation between MS prevalence and only latitude (F<0.05, p<0.001).

Conclusions CONCLUSIONS: While our result showed that both latitude and the UV intensity had the relationship to MS prevalence, the stronger association of the former suggests an existence of other risk factors than UV radiation.

Authors/Disclosures
Masako Kinoshita, MD, PhD (8 Ondoyamacho) PRESENTER	Dr. Kinoshita has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.. Dr. Kinoshita has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Eisai Co., Ltd.. Dr. Kinoshita has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for UCB Japan Co. Ltd. . Dr. Kinoshita has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited.. The institution of Dr. Kinoshita has received research support from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. The institution of Dr. Kinoshita has received research support from Nakatani Foundation for Advancement of Measuring Technologies in Biomedical Engineering .
	No disclosure on file
Masami Tanaka, MD, FAAN (Kyoto Min-iren Chuo Hosp)	Dr. Tanaka has nothing to disclose.
Steven J. Greenberg, MD (Steven J. Greenberg, M.D.)	No disclosure on file

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