Original scientific paper
The Town of Čabar, Croatia, a High Risk Area for Multiple Sclerosis – Analytic Epidemiology of Dietary Factors
Olivio Perković
; Department of Neurology, Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Ante Jurjević
; Department of Neurology, Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Josip Rudež
; Department of Neurology, Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Igor Antončić
; Department of Neurology, Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Marina Bralić
; Department of Neurology, Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Miljenko Kapović
; Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is demyelization disease of central nervous system of unidentified causes. Analytic epidemiological research of 19 patients, clinically approved cases of MS and 25 controls, autochthonic inhabitants of town of ^abar, Croatia, the high-risk zone for the disease, was made. The research plan included case-control investigation – the »door to door« questionnaire – about nutrition habits. An odds ratio (OR) was calculated for all the factors which were more frequently found in the patients than in the controls, and vice versa. The variables that were connected with significant risk for MS in the town of ^abar included: alcohol consumption (p=0.05), animal fats/dried meat products consumption (p=0.007), nitrate salting (p=0.03), strong spices (p=0.007), mixed bread (p=0.002), oat and oat products consumption (p=0.0075). No connection was found with regular consumption of vegetables and fruit (p=0.009), blue fresh fish (p=0.028), other fresh fish (p=0.03), freshwater fish (p=0.002), canned fish (p=0.004), dormouse meat (p=0.007), air-dried meat products (p=0.004) and using the water from water supply (p=0.011). In the town of ^abar nutritional customs, primarily food rich in animal fats, alcohol-abuse, and oat consumption could have an influence on MS pathogenesis in genetically inclined individuals.
Keywords
multiple sclerosis; analytic epidemiology; nutritional effects; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
51645
URI
Publication date:
20.4.2010.
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