Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) and a major contributor to disability of young adults in western countries. MS prevalence is highest in areas with low vitamin D. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble compound with numerous physiologic responses, including immune regulation. An increasing volume of work suggests that lower levels of serum vitamin D are associated with an increased risk of MS and a more severe disease course. With the suggestion of a role in MS disease activity, increasing attention is being paid to the potential of using vitamin D as an add-on therapy to established MS disease-modifying therapies. Several preliminary studies have reported results which have shown some promise, but none has yet provided significant evidence of a clinically meaningful improvement. We review our recommendations for off-label supplementation in the context of these findings.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 6-11 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Multiple Sclerosis |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2018 |
Keywords
- Multiple sclerosis
- epidemiology
- prognosis
- risk factor
- vitamin D
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neurology
- Clinical Neurology