Higher Relative Risk for Multiple Sclerosis in a Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetic Population: Analysis From DPV Database

OBJECTIVE Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS) are typical autoimmune diseases in children and young adults. We assessed the co-occurrence of type 1 diabetes and MS by estimating the relative risk (RR) for MS in a pediatric and adolescent diabetic population and looked for possible influencing factors. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Within the Diabetes Patienten Verlaufsdokumentation (DPV)-Wiss Project, from January 1995 to October 2012, data from 56,653 patients with type 1 diabetes were collected in 248 centers in Germany and Austria. Published data on German and Mid-European MS prevalence were taken for comparison. Multivariable regression analysis was used to identify confounders for co-occurrence of type 1 diabetes and MS. RESULTS The RR for MS in patients with type 1 diabetes was estimated at 3.35–4.79 (95% CI 1.56–7.21 and 2.01–11.39, respectively). Immigration status in all patients (P < 0.05) and the presence of thyroid antibodies in male patients only (P = 0.05) were identified as influencing factors on MS incidence within the DPV database. The month-of-birth pattern revealed that risk was higher during the spring and summer months in the population with type 1 diabetes and MS in comparison with the population with type 1 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS The present cohort study demonstrates a higher risk of co-occurrence of MS in a pediatric and adolescent diabetic population. Immigration status and thyroid antibodies in male patients were independent risk indicators for the incidental rate of MS. Diabetic patients born during spring and summer had a higher risk for the development of MS. We suggest that environmental factors modulate the individual’s risk for the co-occurrence of both diseases.