Journal of Multiple Sclerosis
ISSN - 2376-0389NLM - 101654564
Barbara Teter
Tanzania
Research Article
Parity Associated with Long-Term Disease Progression in Women with Multiple Sclerosis
Author(s): Barbara Teter, Katelyn S Kavak, Channa Kolb, Patricia K Coyle and Bianca Weinstock-GuttmanBarbara Teter, Katelyn S Kavak, Channa Kolb, Patricia K Coyle and Bianca Weinstock-Guttman
Background: Pregnancy in multiple sclerosis (MS) is marked by a decrease in relapse activity with a corresponding rebound in the first months postpartum. Because MS typically occurs during childbearing years, it is important to determine the long term effect of pregnancy.
Design/Methods: Subjects were part of the New York State Multiple Sclerosis Consortium registry. 1,195 parous and 328 nulliparous women with clinically definite MS age 45 or older were analyzed to determine time to a disability milestone, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 6.0. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to examine the effect of parity on time from MS disease onset to EDSS 6.0, adjusted for confounding factors.
Results: The average disease duration for 1,523 women was 18.1 years. During a mean follow-up period of 5.6 years 23.1% of.. View More»
