Identifying Risk Factors for the Rising Prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis in Saudi Arabia: A case-control analysis

Authors

• Omar Babateen, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaFollow
• Jamil Adnan Samkari, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia
• Rewaa Abdulaziz Alkaki, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Sadin Ayman Alamri, College of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Manal Mutlaq Alzahrani, College of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Mussaed Saleh Alharbi, Department of Internal Medicine, King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Ali Abdulrazaq Alghamdi, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Amwaj Sultan Aljurays, Department of Medicine, Almithnab General Hospital, Qassim, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Amjad Faleh Aldosari, College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Seraj Makkawi, College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia AND Department of Neurology, Ministry of the National Guard-Health Affairs, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to identify risk factors linked to the increasing prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Saudi Arabia. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune condition affecting the central nervous system, marked by inflammation and damage to nerves and the myelin sheath.

Method: A case-control study conducted from September 2022 to January 2024 included 832 participants—263 diagnosed with MS and 569 controls. Controls were matched by age, gender, residence, and employment status. Data was collected using a validated questionnaire, with written consent obtained from participants aged 18 and older. Logistic regression analysis was used to ascertain risk factors.

Results: Out of 832 participants, 263 (31.6%) were diagnosed with MS. The greatest percentage of MS cases occurred in the 25–34 age range (37.7%). After adjusting for potential confounders, smoking was significantly associated with increased MS risk (AOR = 2.34, 95% CI: [1.22–4.48], p = 0.01), as were vitamin D deficiency (AOR = 1.97, 95% CI: [1.31–2.98], pp = 0.02). Conversely, vitamin D supplementation was associated with a substantial reduction in MS risk (AOR = 0.17, 95% CI: [0.10–0.28], p < 0.001), as was coffee consumption (AOR = 0.53, 95% CI: [0.30–0.96], p < 0.04).

Conclusion: Smoking, vitamin D deficiency, and a history of childhood sexual abuse increase MS risk, while vitamin D supplementation and coffee consumption reduce it. Further research is essential to confirm these findings.

Article Type

Original Study

First Page

18

Last Page

25

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Recommended Citation

Babateen, Omar; Samkari, Jamil Adnan; Alkaki, Rewaa Abdulaziz; Alamri, Sadin Ayman; Alzahrani, Manal Mutlaq; Alharbi, Mussaed Saleh; Alghamdi, Ali Abdulrazaq; Aljurays, Amwaj Sultan; Aldosari, Amjad Faleh; and Makkawi, Seraj (2026) "Identifying Risk Factors for the Rising Prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis in Saudi Arabia: A case-control analysis," Neurosciences: Vol. 31: Iss. 1, Article 3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17712/1658-3183.1002