title: Risk factors for multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica and transverse myelitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about risk factors for neuromyelitis optica (NMO) or transverse myelitis (TM).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this paper is to evaluate whether established multiple sclerosis (MS) risk factors, including smoking history, a history of infectious mononucleosis (IM), anti-EBNA1 Ab titers and HLA-DR15 are associated with NMO or TM.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a case-control study among participants in the Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis (ACP) Repository, which includes patients with MS, NMO and TM. Controls include related and unrelated individuals without evidence of demyelinating disease. Analyses included 1237 cases of MS, 98 cases of NMO, 133 cases of TM and 488 healthy controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to assess the association between smoking, HLA-DR15, anti-EBNA1 Ab titers and a history of IM adjusting for gender, study site and ethnicity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, the association between smoking, IM, HLA-DR15 and anti-EBNA1 Ab titers and odds of MS were as expected and no significant interactions were observed. However, there was little evidence of association between these MS risk factors and odds of NMO or TM.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Established MS risk factors do not appear to be associated with susceptibility to TM or NMO and, among MS patients, these risk factors appear to act independently.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, USA/Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, USA.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: Accelerated Cure Project, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Accelerated Cure Project, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Loud
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, USA/Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, USA/Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, USA aascheri@hsph.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ascherio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D059810:HLA-DR Serological Subtypes / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007244:Infectious Mononucleosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D009188:Myelitis, Transverse / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D009471:Neuromyelitis Optica / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens; D059810:HLA-DR Serological Subtypes; C106559:HLA-DR15 antigen; C417029:EBV-encoded nuclear antigen 1
keywords: Epstein-Barr virus; Multiple sclerosis; all demyelinating disease (CNS); case control studies; neuromyelitis optica; risk factors in epidemiology; transverse myelitis