MS cases linked to 
ag industry, gender

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A newly released study of the higher-than-usual incidence of multiple sclerosis in northwestern Illinois shows that the disease is more common in non-Hispanics, people of German ancestry, and those with links to the agricultural industry.

Click here to read the latest media release, September 2009 (PDF).

The University of Illinois College of Medicine Health Systems Research Department study based its data on 772 participants in 13 counties, including Lee, Ogle, Whiteside, Carroll and Bureau.

Click here to read the full study (PDF).

It is the fifth study the college has done in the area. Several years ago, cases in Morrison and Paw Paw were examined.

“The very high level among females in the area, and the ancestry links are still there [from previous research],” said Joel Cowen, the college’s assistant dean for Health Systems Research.

“So, this tells us in this area for women of northern European ancestry that this is a risk and something to be aware of, because MS symptoms can creep up on you and they’re the kinds of things that can relate to many different diseases and conditions.”

He said the disease’s prevalence in rural counties makes the potential agricultural link a topic his department wants to study further.

Multiple sclerosis results when the immune system attacks myelin, the protective insulation surrounding nerve fibers of the central nervous system, which then affects coordination, muscle tone, reflexes, balance, respiratory function and vision.

Cowen said the average age of MS onset for the study participants was 42.

Among other significant findings – 22 percent of those who participated had a close relative with MS and a potential link “to both agriculture as an industry and farming as an occupation.”

The study did not find links to environmental factors or socioeconomic characteristics of the community, he said.

It is not known what causes MS. The goal of the research is to create a state and national database of all MS patients, similar to the national cancer registry, so that the disease can be studied more thoroughly and the data shared.

In the latest study, done over a 10-month period, participants were asked to complete an online survey about their diagnoses, past and present treatments and family history.

GateHouse News Service contributed to this report.

Other findings

Area women are much more likely to develop MS in this area. Of the 772 participants, 605 were women.

■ Twenty-two percent of participants had a close relative also diagnosed with the disease.

■ Ninety-four percent have northern European roots, which researchers have said may be a link to the high number of MS cases in the area.

■ Environmental and socioeconomic factors were not related to the high prevalence of MS in the area.

In the 10-month study, participants were asked to complete an online survey about their diagnoses, past and present treatments and family history.