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A Multicenter Multinational Study to Evaluate Different Aspects of the Relationship Between Ms and Pregnancy Publisher Pubmed



Gozubatikcelik RG1 ; Sen S2 ; Tay B3 ; Alroughani R4 ; Zakaria M5 ; Moghadasi AN6, 7 ; Terzi M2 ; Koseoglu M1 ; Efendi H8 ; Soysal A1 ; Ozturk M1 ; Akinci Y9 ; Kaya ZE9 ; Saip S8 Show All Authors
Authors
  1. Gozubatikcelik RG1
  2. Sen S2
  3. Tay B3
  4. Alroughani R4
  5. Zakaria M5
  6. Moghadasi AN6, 7
  7. Terzi M2
  8. Koseoglu M1
  9. Efendi H8
  10. Soysal A1
  11. Ozturk M1
  12. Akinci Y9
  13. Kaya ZE9
  14. Saip S8
  15. Siva A9
  16. Sahraian M6, 7
  17. Gonen M10
  18. Altintas A11
Show Affiliations
Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Department of Neurology, University of Health Sciences Bakirkoy Prof. Dr. Mazhar Osman Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Turkey
  2. 2. Neurology Department, Ondokuz Mayis University School of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey
  3. 3. School of Medicine, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey
  4. 4. Department of Neurology, Amiri Hospital, Sharq, Kuwait
  5. 5. Neurology Department, Ain-Shams University School of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
  6. 6. MS Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  7. 7. Neurology Department, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  8. 8. Department of Neurology, Kocaeli University School of Medicine, Kocaeli, Turkey
  9. 9. Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpasa School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Istanbul, Turkey
  10. 10. Department of Industrial Engineering, Koc University, College of Engineering, Istanbul, Turkey
  11. 11. Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey

Source: Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders Published:2024


Abstract

Background: To investigate the pregnancy-related issues in females with multiple sclerosis (MS) from Turkiye, Egypt, Kuwait, and Iran. Methods: 1692 pregnancies of 701 females with MS were evaluated in this retrospective multicenter, international project. Demographics, clinical features, pregnancy outcomes, relapses, effects of exposure to disease-modifying drugs on pregnancy and fetus, and worries about pregnancy decisions were investigated. Results: 85.9 % of females were diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The mean age was 39.0 ± 9.0 years (min 20, max 68). The mean EDSS score was 2.26 ± 1.8. The number of conceptions was inversely correlated with the level of education with significance (p < 0.05). Among the concerns related to pregnancy, 31.7 % pertain to disability progression, 14.4 % are associated with relapses, and 7.3 % involve the cessation of treatment. Additionally, 82.3 % of females with MS experienced no relapses during both pregnancy and the postpartum period. Most of the relapses (22.9 %) occurred in the postpartum period. Higher EDSS scores were detected in patients who have higher numbers of pre-MS period pregnancies (p = 0.042; r:0.2591). A similar correlation was found between the total number of pregnancies and higher EDSS levels (p = 0.003, r:0.2614). Considering the relationship between EDSS score and the number of pregnancies after MS diagnosis, no significance was found (p = 0.595). The age at first pregnancy did not affect the onset age of MS. Significant positive correlation was found between the age of onset and the total number of pregnancies and pre-MS pregnancies. As the number of pregnancies increased, the disease onset was at a later age (correlation = 0.4258). Conclusion: Presence of pre-MS pregnancies increased the age of onset of MS and caused more disability. The reduction in the number of pregnancies following the diagnosis of MS was related with a consistent hesitancy among patients in this regard. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.