A Canadian case control study investigating demographic and environmental factors associated with MOGAD

Sam Hosseini-Moghaddam; Ruth Ann Marrie; Christina Wolfson; Robert Carruthers; Mark S Freedman; Sarah Morrow; Liesly Lee; Rosane Nisenbaum; Andrea Konig; Sandra Magalhaes; Dalia L Rotstein

doi:10.1016/j.msard.2023.105023

A Canadian case control study investigating demographic and environmental factors associated with MOGAD

Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2023 Nov:79:105023. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2023.105023. Epub 2023 Sep 27.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, 30 Bond St., Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W8, Canada.
² Departments of Medicine and Community Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
³ Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Occupational Health and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
⁴ Division of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
⁵ Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
⁶ Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario, Canada.
⁷ Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 6 Queen's Park Crescent West, 3rd floor, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H2, Canada.
⁸ Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 6 Queen's Park Crescent West, 3rd floor, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H2, Canada; Applied Health Research Centre, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St Michael's Hospital, A Site of Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Division of Biostatistics, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁹ Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.
¹⁰ St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, 30 Bond St., Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W8, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 6 Queen's Park Crescent West, 3rd floor, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H2, Canada. Electronic address: dalia.rotstein@unityhealth.to.

PMID: 37804766
DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2023.105023

Abstract

Background: Little is known about demographic and environmental factors associated with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD).

Objective: To investigate factors associated with MOGAD using a case-control design and validated questionnaire from the Environmental Risk Factors in Multiple Sclerosis Study (EnvIMS).

Methods: We enrolled patients with positive MOG antibody serology and diagnosis of MOGAD at six Canadian centres. MOGAD participants completed the EnvIMS questionnaire, and were compared to unaffected controls from the Canadian arm of EnvIMS. We calculated crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) using logistic regression models and Firth's procedure for rare events.

Results: We enrolled 39 MOGAD participants with mean (SD) age 45.0 (14.4) years, 28 (71.8 %) women, 25 (64.1 %) White, 26 (66.7 %) residents of Ontario, and mean BMI 28.6 (7.1). They were compared to 956 controls. Using multivariable logistic regression, larger body size at age 10 years (OR: 3.57, 95 % CI:1.23 - 10.33) and non-White ethnicity (OR:3.81, 95 % CI:1.93-7.54) were associated with higher odds of MOGAD. Among Ontario residents, current BMI ≥30 was associated with higher odds of MOGAD (OR:2.79, 95 % CI:1.03-7.53).

Conclusion: Our findings are hypothesis-generating due to the sample size, but suggest that obesity and ethnicity should be explored as potential risk factors for MOGAD in other settings.

Keywords: Epidemiology; MOGAD; Risk factors.

MeSH terms

Antibodies*
Aquaporin 4
Autoantibodies
Case-Control Studies
Child
Ethnicity
Female
Humans
Logistic Models
Male
Middle Aged
Neuromyelitis Optica*
Ontario

Substances

Antibodies
Autoantibodies
Aquaporin 4