Early Childhood Sun Exposure Linked to Lower Risk for Pediatric MS Relapse

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Greater prenatal and early childhood sun exposure is associated with a lower risk for relapse among children with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published online Feb. 12 in Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation.

Gina Chang, M.D., M.P.H., from The Children”s Hospital of Philadelphia, and colleagues conducted a multicenter cohort study involving 334 children with pediatric-onset MS recruited from 18 pediatric MS clinics between Nov. 1, 2011, and July 1, 2017, to examine the correlation between time spent in the sun in early childhood and risk for relapse. Relapses were identified prospectively after enrollment; those preceding study enrollment were entered retrospectively.

The researchers found that from disease onset to the end of the follow-up period, 206 children (62 percent) experienced at least one relapse. Compared with <30 minutes, ≥30 minutes of daily sun exposure during the first summer of life was associated with a lower risk for relapse after adjustment (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.67). There was also an association seen between greater time spent in the sun during the first trimester of pregnancy and a reduced risk for relapse (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.68). No significant associations were seen for ultraviolet radiation dose and time spent in the sun later in life with relapse risk.

“Our findings suggest that sun exposure in early childhood may have long-lasting benefits on the progression of childhood-onset MS,” Chang said in a statement.

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