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The evidence on the association between allergies and multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity is scarce. In this issue of JNNP , Fakih and colleagues report that patients with MS and food allergies have a higher disease activity compared with patients with no known allergies.
Both genetic and lifestyle/environmental factors are known to contribute to the development and the severity of MS.1 Previously, a series of studies addressed the relationship between food allergies and MS risk with conflicting results.2
In their JNNP article, Fakih et al 3 show that patients with MS and self-reported food allergies have more relapses and a higher likelihood of gadolinium-enhancing lesions compared with patients with no known allergies. Using a well-validated cohort from a single centre, 1349 patients with MS were asked about environmental, food and drug allergies. …
Footnotes
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent for publication Not required.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.