Key clinical point : Increase in leptin concentration is associated with an elevated multiple sclerosis (MS) risk among young individuals.
Major finding : A 1-unit increase in leptin z-score was associated with higher MS risk in individuals younger than 20 years (odds ratio [OR], 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-1.9) and in all men (OR, 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-2.0). In contrast, MS risk reduced with increased leptin levels in women aged 30-39 years after adjustment for insulin levels (OR, 0.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.54-1.0).
Study details: This nested case-control study used blood samples from Swedish biobanks and compared leptin and insulin concentrations in 649 individuals who later developed relapsing-remitting MS and 649 matched controls.
Disclosures: This study was supported by the Swedish Research Council. Lucia Alonso-Magdalena has received speaking fees from Merck Serono and served on advisory board for Merck Serono and Biogen. Magnus Vrethem has received honoraria for lectures from Genzyme and for advisory boards from Roche and Novartis.
Citation: Biström M et al. Mult Scler. 2020 Feb 7. doi: 10.1177/1352458520905033.