title: Autoimmune Comorbidities Are Associated with Brain Injury in Multiple Sclerosis.
abstract: The effect of comorbidities on disease severity in MS has not been extensively characterized. We determined the association of comorbidities with MR imaging disease severity outcomes in MS.
  
  
  
  Demographic and clinical history of 9 autoimmune comorbidities confirmed by retrospective chart review and quantitative MR imaging data were obtained in 815 patients with MS. The patients were categorized on the basis of the presence/absence of total and specific comorbidities. We analyzed the MR imaging findings, adjusting for key covariates and correcting for multiple comparisons.
  
  
  
  Two hundred forty-one (29.6%) study subjects presented with comorbidities. Thyroid disease had the highest frequency (n = 97, 11.9%), followed by asthma (n = 41, 5%), type 2 diabetes mellitus (n = 40, 4.9%), psoriasis (n = 33, 4%), and rheumatoid arthritis (n = 22, 2.7%). Patients with MS with comorbidities showed decreased whole-brain and cortical volumes (P < .001), gray matter volume and magnetization transfer ratio of normal-appearing brain tissue (P < .01), and magnetization transfer ratio of gray matter (P < .05). Psoriasis, thyroid disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus comorbidities were associated with decreased whole-brain, cortical, and gray matter volumes (P < .05). Psoriasis was associated with a decreased magnetization transfer ratio of normal-appearing brain tissue (P < .05), while type 2 diabetes mellitus was associated with increased mean diffusivity (P < .01).
  
  
  
  The presence of comorbidities in patients with MS is associated with brain injury on MR imaging. Psoriasis, thyroid disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus comorbidities were associated with more severe nonconventional MR imaging outcomes.
authors.affiliation: From the, Department of Neurology (R.Z., B.R., J.D., M.G.D., N.B.), Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center MR Imaging Clinical Translational Research Center (R.Z.) rzivadinov@bnac.net.
authors.forename: R
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7799-1485
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zivadinov
authors.affiliation: From the, Department of Neurology (R.Z., B.R., J.D., M.G.D., N.B.), Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center.
authors.forename: B
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3092-4576
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Raj
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (M.R.), School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York.
authors.forename: M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9943-150X
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramanathan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology (B.T., C.K., D.H., R.H.B., B.W.-G.), Jacobs MS Center, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York.
authors.forename: B
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1527-6192
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Teter
authors.affiliation: From the, Department of Neurology (R.Z., B.R., J.D., M.G.D., N.B.), Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center.
authors.forename: J
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9571-975X
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Durfee
authors.affiliation: From the, Department of Neurology (R.Z., B.R., J.D., M.G.D., N.B.), Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center.
authors.forename: M G
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4684-4658
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Dwyer
authors.affiliation: From the, Department of Neurology (R.Z., B.R., J.D., M.G.D., N.B.), Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center Magnetic Resonance Laboratory (N.B.), IRCCS Don Gnocchi Foundation, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7792-0433
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bergsland
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology (B.T., C.K., D.H., R.H.B., B.W.-G.), Jacobs MS Center, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York.
authors.forename: C
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7761-2548
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kolb
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology (B.T., C.K., D.H., R.H.B., B.W.-G.), Jacobs MS Center, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York.
authors.forename: D
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2518-848X
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hojnacki
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology (B.T., C.K., D.H., R.H.B., B.W.-G.), Jacobs MS Center, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York.
authors.forename: R H
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2080-3631
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Benedict
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology (B.T., C.K., D.H., R.H.B., B.W.-G.), Jacobs MS Center, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York.
authors.forename: B
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6732-151X
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weinstock-Guttman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001930:Brain Injuries; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies