Key clinical point: Spending more time outdoors in the summer and higher exposure to summer ultraviolet radiation (UVR) markedly reduces the risk of developing pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS).
Major finding: Compared with spending <30 minutes outdoors daily during the most recent summer, greater time spent outdoors was associated with a significantly decreased risk of developing MS (30-60 minutes: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.48; P = .05; 1-2 hours: aOR, 0.19; P < .001). Additionally, the ambient UVR dose also showed a protective effect (aOR, 0.76; P = .01).
Study details: This was a multicenter case-control study involving children with MS (n=332) compared with age- and gender-matched controls (n=534).
Disclosures: This study was funded by the NIH and the National MS Society. Some of the authors declared receiving grants from National MS Society and NIH and/or financial support and consulting/personal fees from various other sources.
Source: Sebastian P et al. Neurology. 2021 Dec 8. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000013045 .