title: Multiple sclerosis in South America: month of birth in different latitudes does not seem to interfere with the prevalence or progression of the disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether the month of birth in different latitudes of South America might influence the presence or severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Neurologists in four South American countries working at MS units collected data on their patients' month of birth, gender, age, and disease progression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of data from 1207 MS patients and 1207 control subjects did not show any significant variation in the month of birth regarding the prevalence of MS in four latitude bands (0-10; 11-20; 21-30; and 31-40 degrees). There was no relationship between the month of birth and the severity of disease in each latitude band.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results from this study show that MS patients born to mothers who were pregnant at different Southern latitudes do not follow the seasonal pattern observed at high Northern latitudes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Universidade Metropolitana de Santos, SantosSP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Yára Dadalti
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Fragoso
authors.forename: Tarso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Adoni
authors.forename: Sandra Maria Garcia de
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Soniza Vieira
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Alves-Leon
authors.forename: Walter Oleschko
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Arruda
authors.forename: Fiorella
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barbagelata-Aguero
authors.forename: Joseph Bruno Bidin
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carra
authors.forename: Rinaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Claudino
authors.forename: Elizabeth Regina
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Comini-Frota
authors.forename: Eber Castro
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Damasceno
authors.forename: Benito Pereira
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Damasceno
authors.forename: Ethel Ciampi
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: David George
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Elliff
authors.forename: Ana Patrícia Peres
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Fiore
authors.forename: Clelia Maria Ribeiro
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.forename: Maria Cristina Brandao
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Giacomo
authors.forename: Sidney
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Marcus Vinicius Magno
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: Anderson Kuntz
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Grzesiuk
authors.forename: Jose Luiz
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Inojosa
authors.forename: Damacio Ramón
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Kaimen-Maciel
authors.forename: Katia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Josiane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Gisele Alexandre
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Lourenço
authors.forename: Alejandra Diana
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: Mario Oscar
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Melcon
authors.forename: Nívea de Macedo Oliveira
authors.initials: Nde M
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Rogério Rizo
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Shirlene Vianna
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Celso Luis da Silva
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Francisco Tomaz Menezes de
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: João Batista
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Sonia Beatriz Felix
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Claudia Cárcamo
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Safanelli
authors.forename: Kirsty Deborah
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Shearer
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Siquineli
authors.forename: Darwin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vizcarra-Escobar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018450:Disease Progression; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D036801:Parturition; D012621:Seasons; D013020:South America / Q000453:epidemiology; D019371:Topography, Medical