Risk For MS 30% Higher For Those Living In Cities, Study Finds

schwit1 quotes UPI: City-dwellers are nearly 30 percent more likely to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis than those living in more rural areas, a study presented Friday at the European Academy of Neurology Virtual Congress has found. Based on the results, which will also be published in European Journal of Neurology, air pollution could be a risk factor for the development of the disease, according to the authors, who conducted their research in Italy. “It is well recognized that immune diseases such as MS are associated with multiple factors, both genetic and environmental,” co-author Dr. Roberto Bergamaschi, of the IRCCS Mondino Foundation in Pavia, Italy, said in a statement. “We believe that air pollution interacts through several mechanisms in the development of MS and the results of this study strengthen that hypothesis,” he added.