DIETARY ANTIOXIDANTS INTAKE AND DISABILITY STATUS IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Background and Aim: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune demyelinating disease that involves central nervous system (CNS). It expresses itself in four clinical forms: relapsing remitting MS (RRMS), secondary progressive MS (SPMS), primary progressive MS (PPMS), and progressive relapsing MS (PRMS). Previous study demonstrated that antioxidant contents of foods can effect on immune modulation and inflammatory pathway.The aim of this study was to examine the association between antioxidants intake with EDSS and Fatigue newly diagnosed patients with MS.Methods: 126 patients with diagnosed MS patients (42 RRMS, 42 PPMS and 42 SPMS) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessment of brain and spinal cord were recruited from multiple sclerosis clinic in Kashani Hospital of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran include from present study. A 168-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used for assessment of dietary intakes of vitamin E, vitamin C, beta-carotene, zinc and selenium. Medical history questionnaire, EDSS and Fatigue questionnaire record from all participants. Participants no had taked any antioxidants supplements in previous 3 months. Mean ± SD of EDSS and fatigue scale in SPMS and PPMS groups demonstrated significant higher than RRMS group. Vitamin C and zinc intake between subgroups no had significant difference. There was a negative significant association between vitamin E intake and EDSS in all participants (r=-0.617, p=0.026). In addition there was a negative significant association between beta-carotene intake with EDSS in RRMS (r=-0.714, p=0.007). There was significant negative correlation between selenium and Fatigue scale in RRMS (r=-0.542, p<0.001) and PPMS (r=-0.218, p=0.039) subgroups. Other correlation was not significant. Age, gender, energy intake and blood pressure were not confounder variables.Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that there is a negative significant correlation between vitamin with EDSS in RRMS, SPMS and PPMS patients. In addition dietary intakes of selenium can decrease fatigue status in RRMS and PPMS. Further studies with larger sample sizes and other population needed to prove this correlation.

Keywords:

Multiple Sclerosis , Disability , Antioxidant