Recent Use of Oral Contraceptives and the Risk of Multiple Sclerosis
Open Access
- 1 September 2005
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Medical Association (AMA) in Archives of Neurology
- Vol. 62 (9), 1362-1365
- https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.62.9.1362
Abstract
Estrogens affect immune response1 and, thus, may affect the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). Exogenous estrogens delay the onset and ameliorate the clinical course of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in mice,2-4 and it is therefore possible that oral contraceptives (OCs) could have a role in the development of MS. Pregnancy and puerperium, 2 states associated with profound hormonal changes, alter the clinical course of MS5 and could affect the risk of developing the disease.Keywords
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