MS Relapse Risk Not Increased in Postoperative Period

TUESDAY, July 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Exposure to a surgical procedure requiring anesthesia does not seem to increase the risk for postoperative multiple sclerosis (MS) relapse, according to a study published online June 25 in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal.

Lindsey B. De Lott, M.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues extracted data from medical records of MS patients undergoing surgery from 2000 to 2016 to examine whether MS relapse risk is higher postoperatively. Data were included for 281 patients and 609 surgical procedures requiring anesthesia.

The researchers identified 12 postoperative relapses. The odds of postoperative versus preoperative relapse were not increased in unadjusted models (odds ratio, 0.56; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.18 to 1.79; P = 0.33) or age-adjusted models (odds ratio, 0.66; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.20 to 2.16; P = 0.49).

“Although a larger study is necessary to confirm our findings, these data suggest that surgery requiring anesthesia is not a trigger for MS relapse,” a coauthor said in a statement. “These results may allay concerns that many health care providers have when approaching MS patients for surgery.”

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

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