Hyperlipidemia Onset May Occur Earlier in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

The following article is part of conference coverage from the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis 2020 Forum in West Palm Beach, Florida. Neurology Advisor‘s staff will be reporting breaking news associated with research conducted by leading experts in neurology. Check back for the latest news from the ACTRIMS 2020 Forum.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL — The onset of hyperlipidemia occurs earlier in patients with multiple sclerosis compared with matched control individuals, according to study results presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) 2020 Forum held from February 27 to 29, 2020, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Vascular diseases are associated with multiple sclerosis, although the timing of vascular comorbidity onset relative to multiple sclerosis has not been determined. The objective of this study was to compare the age of onset of hyperlipidemia in patients with multiple sclerosis with that in people without multiple sclerosis.

In this longitudinal study, researchers used electronic health records from the Cleveland Clinic to evaluate data of patients with hyperlipidemia who had 5 or more visits with a primary care physician. Patients with multiple sclerosis were matched with controls by age, sex, and race at a ratio of 1:4. The primary outcome was age of hyperlipidemia onset. After matching, the study included 668 patients with multiple sclerosis and 2672 control individuals.

Researchers found that the mean onset age for hyperlipidemia was 55.5±12.2 years. Patients with multiple sclerosis were at a 20% increased risk for hyperlipidemia onset (95% CI, 9.8-30.3; P =4.1×10^-5), which translated to a 1.5-year decrease in a linear regression model for age at onset. Sex-stratified models suggested that the effect of early hyperlipidemia onset in patients with multiple sclerosis was driven by the effect in women (hazard ratio [HR], 1.22 [P =6.2×10^-5]; β, -1.9 [P =6.7×10^-4]) rather than that in men (HR, 1.15 [P =.11]; β, -0.4 [P =0.39]). Race-stratified analyses showed that the effect for multiple sclerosis was more significant among black individuals (HR, 1.25 [P =.03]; β, -3.5 [P =.002]) than white individuals (HR, 1.14 [P =.0067]; β, -1.0 [P =.08]).

The study researchers concluded that hyperlipidemia onset occurs earlier in patients with multiple sclerosis — especially in women and black patients — and that additional research will be needed to characterize underlying mechanisms that put these patients at risk.

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Reference

Krill D, Conway DS, Briggs FB. Earlier onset of hyperlipidemia in MS patients. Presented at: Annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum; February 27-29, 2020; West Palm Beach, FL. Poster P085.