What's Your Sign?

Here is a different type of research -- the objective was to find a relationship between the month of birth and the risk of MS, with the added question of genetic susceptibility in the northern hemisphere.

This interesting study was done by the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was based on thousands of death certificates in the northern hemisphere, the very north northern hemisphere: Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, Denmark. The control group was the general population and unaffected siblings (remember the genetic twist).

Did they find anything? Why, yes, they did.

The month of birth and risk of MS are associated, especially in families. Therefore, there seems to be a relationship between genes and environment related to climate, perhaps shortly after or even before birth.

Specifically, there were fewer MS births in November (that would be Scorpio & Sagittarius), and more in May (Taurus & Gemini). This pattern was found in all countries studied. The most significant substantiation was in Scotland, where MS is most prevalent.

Interesting. I wonder, then, since this pattern was found in the far north, if it is also true for the far south? And what about the rest of the world? Are there more MSers born in affected families in May in Texas? And what is the pattern in Ecuador? Hmmm.

technorati tags: ms, multiplesclerosis, msinfamilies, msandmonthofbirth, canadams, greatbritainms, scotlandms, swedenms, denmarkms, msandclimate, downthemspath