| A recently published study which analyzed the incidence of skin
cancer and multiple sclerosis has found that skin cancer rates in people
with multiple sclerosis were significantly less common than that found
in the control group. The prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) varies
with latitude: it increases with distance from the equator in both hemispheres.
"We investigated whether skin cancer, as a marker of individual exposure
to solar radiation, was less common in people with multiple sclerosis
than others."
Gathering evidence on whether solar radiation is a protective factor
for MS, the study investigated whether skin cancer was less common in
people with MS and found it to be significantly less.
The authors of the report do concede that there is room for bias
in the way the statistics were collated. The control, or 'reference
group' was determined to be a representation of the general population
although it was also conceded that people with a chronic disability
may spend less time in the sun.
However, there does not appear to be any allowance made for the phenomenon
which multiple sclerosis sufferers experience which results in worsening
of symptoms when exposed to heat (Uhthoff's
phenomenon) and that people who suffer from MS will often make a
conscious effort to avoid heat.
J Epidemiol Community Health 2004;58:142–144
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