Tobacco.org

Positive Clinical Trial Results Take Center Stage At American Academy Of Neurology Meeting 

More than 11,000 neurologists, investigators and trainees gathered in Seattle in late April for the 2009 annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, one of this country's top venues for sharing clinical research progress related to multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders. This year, there were over 400 platform and poster presentations focusing on progress related to MS. This summary covers just a fraction of the platform talks. To read the researchers' original abstracts, sign up at no charge at the American Academy of Neurology's Website. . . .

MS Risk Factors

- Smoking: Joseph Finkelstein, MD, PhD (Johns Hopkins) and colleagues, in collaboration with the Baltimore VA's MS Center of Excellence, reported on a study using the 2002 National Health Interview Survey of over 30,000 households. A small proportion of those surveyed told interviewers that they had been diagnosed with MS. The cigarette smoking history of these 87 people was compared to that of 435 matched controls who did not have MS. The investigators found that people who had started smoking early (prior to age 17) were 2.7 times more likely to develop MS, versus those who started smoking later or never smoked. It is not clear whether other behavioral factors contributed to the increased risk of MS in this relatively small sample of individuals. This study adds to the growing body of information related to cigarette smoking and its apparent contributions to MS susceptibility and progression.

Jump to full article »