Increased prevalence of multiple sclerosis among COPD patients and their first-degree relatives: a population-based study.
In both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and multiple sclerosis (MS), combinations of environmental and genetic factors are likely to increase the vulnerability to acquire disease. This study was undertaken to investigate any possible comorbidity of COPD and MS, thus indicating common inflammatory vulnerability. Individuals with a diagnosis of COPD (including chronic bronchitis and emphysema) during 1987-2002, according to the Swedish Inpatient and Cause of Death Registers, were identified (180,239 individuals). Thereafter, controls and first-degree relatives of both cases and controls were identified. Finally, all individuals were compared with the Inpatient Register to identify individuals discharged with a diagnosis of MS. In the COPD cohort, there was a more than twofold increased risk of MS compared with controls (HR 2.51; 95% CI 2.13-2.98). The risk of MS was even more pronounced among individuals discharged with a diagnosis of COPD before 60 years of age (HR 6.37; 95% CI 3.58-9.68). There was also an increased risk of MS among mothers (HR 2.24; 95% CI 1.04-4.61) and siblings (HR 1.50; 95% CI 1.08-2.08) of COPD patients. This study indicates that COPD and MS have an inflammatory vulnerability in common, at least in a subgroup of patients. These diseases may share inflammatory pathways, including predisposing variants of genes.
Egesten
Arne
A
Division of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, University Hospital, BMC B14, Tornavägen 10, Lund, SE-221 84, Sweden. Arne.Egesten@med.lu.se.
Brandt
Lena
L
Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet and Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Olsson
Tomas
T
Neuroimmunology Unit, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet and Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Granath
Fredrik
F
Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet and Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Inghammar
Malin
M
Division of Infection Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, University Hospital, Lund, SE-221 85, Sweden.
Löfdahl
Claes-Göran
CG
Division of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, University Hospital, BMC B14, Tornavägen 10, Lund, SE-221 84, Sweden.
Ekbom
Anders
A
Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet and Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, USA.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology