Geomagnetic Disturbance and Ultraviolet Exposures Influence Multiple Sclerosis Onset Timing

Seyed Aidin Sajedi; Chao Zhu; Fahimeh Abdollahi; Fatemeh Saberi; Dana Horakova; Serkan Ozakbas; Magd Zakaria; Vahid Shaygannejad; Masoud Etemadifar; Samia J. Khoury; Bianca Weinstock-Guttman; Francesco Patti; Cavit Boz; Sara Eichau; Valentina Tomassini; Murat Terzi; Pierre Duquette; Allan G. Kermode; Guntis Karelis; Maria Pia Amato; Jana Libertinova; Francois Grand'Maison; Nevin Shalaby; Tomas Kalincik; Katherine Buzzard; Mario Habek; Yolanda Blanco; Pierre Grammond; Jeannette Lechner-Scott; Jose E. Meca-Lallana; Ayse Altintas; Pavel Hradilek; Koen de Gans; Recai Turkoglu; Zuzana Rous; Davide Maimone; Marek Paterka; Michael Barnett; Julie Prevost; Aysun Soysal; Emanuele D'Amico; Matteo Foschi; Riadh Gouider; Radek Ampapa; Stella Hughes; Nevin John; Vincent van Pesch; Cristina Ramo-Tello; Miroslav Mares; Carmen-Adella Sirbu; Zbysek Pavelek; Miguel D'Haeseleer; Celia Oreja-Guevara; Chris McGuigan; Maria Di Gregorio; Elisabetta Cartechini; Jens Kuhle; Daniele Spitaleri; Mehmet Fatih Yetkin; Bhim Singhal; Suzanne Hodgkinson; Claudio Solaro; Edgardo Cristiano; Mark Slee; Guy Laureys; Chokri Mhiri; Pamela McCombe; Bruce Taylor; Eva Recmanova; Emmanuelle Lapointe; Thor Petersen; Talal Al-Harbi; Richard Macdonell; Bart Wijmeersch; Canan Yucesan; Dheeraj Khurana; Jabir Alkhaboori; Jose Luis Sanchez-Menoyo; Jiwon Oh; Orla Gray; Deborah Mason; Katrin Gross-Paju; Farouk Talaat; Melissa Cambron; Justin Garber; Abdorreza Naser Moghadasi; Seyed Mohammad Baghbanian; Nikolaos Grigoriadis; Eduardo Aguera-Morales; Waldemar Brola; Jihad Inshasi; Tamara Castillo-Trivino; Ivana Stetkarova; Jana Houskova; Juan Ignacio Rojas; Mona AlKhawajah; Nevin Shalaby; Bassem Yamout; Simon Cardenas-Robledo; Todd A. Hardy; Jose Antonio Cabrera-Gomez; Pavel Stourac; Dieter Poehlau; Ilya Kister; Oliver Gerlach; Cameron Shaw; Norma Deri; Patrice Lalive; Rana Karabudak; Neil Shuey; Barbara Willekens; Walter Oleschko Arruda; Tunde Csepany; Angel Perez Sempere; Enrique Gomez-Figueroa; John Tzartos; Deborah Field; Joyce Pauline Joseph; Claudio Gobbi; Gregor Brecl Jakob; Nai-Wen Tsai; Fraser Moore; Ismail Ramadan; Danny Decoo; Maria Cecilia Aragon de Vecino; Jennifer Massey; Masayuki Mizuno; Irene Trevino-Frenk; Csilla Rozsa; Marija Cauchi; Norio Chihara; Donald McCarren; Abdullah Al-Asmi; Chiyoko Nohara; Magdolna Simo; Raed Alroughani; Jose Andres Dominguez; Karim Kotkata; Jyh Yung Hor; Elizabeth Alejandra Bacile; Vetere Santiago; Claudia Vasconcelos; Krisztina Kovacs; Mike Boggild; Eli Skromne; Yuri Nakamura; Amit Bar-Or; Anneke van der Walt; Helmut Butzkueven

doi:10.1177/13524585261424108

Geomagnetic Disturbance and Ultraviolet Exposures Influence Multiple Sclerosis Onset Timing

Seyed Aidin Sajedi
, Chao Zhu
, Fahimeh Abdollahi
, Fatemeh Saberi
, Dana Horakova
, Serkan Ozakbas
, Magd Zakaria
, Vahid Shaygannejad
, Masoud Etemadifar
, Samia J. Khoury
, Bianca Weinstock-Guttman
, Francesco Patti
, Cavit Boz
, Sara Eichau
, Valentina Tomassini
, Murat Terzi
, Pierre Duquette
, Allan G. Kermode
, Guntis Karelis
, Maria Pia Amato

Jana Libertinova, Francois Grand'Maison, Nevin Shalaby, Tomas Kalincik, Katherine Buzzard, Mario Habek, Yolanda Blanco, Pierre Grammond, Jeannette Lechner-Scott, Jose E. Meca-Lallana, Ayse Altintas, Pavel Hradilek, Koen de Gans, Recai Turkoglu, Zuzana Rous, Davide Maimone, Marek Paterka, Michael Barnett, Julie Prevost, Aysun Soysal, Emanuele D'Amico, Matteo Foschi, Riadh Gouider, Radek Ampapa, Stella Hughes, Nevin John, Vincent van Pesch, Cristina Ramo-Tello, Miroslav Mares, Carmen-Adella Sirbu, Zbysek Pavelek, Miguel D'Haeseleer, Celia Oreja-Guevara, Chris McGuigan, Maria Di Gregorio, Elisabetta Cartechini, Jens Kuhle, Daniele Spitaleri, Mehmet Fatih Yetkin, Bhim Singhal, Suzanne Hodgkinson, Claudio Solaro, Edgardo Cristiano, Mark Slee, Guy Laureys, Chokri Mhiri, Pamela McCombe, Bruce Taylor, Eva Recmanova, Emmanuelle Lapointe, Thor Petersen, Talal Al-Harbi, Richard Macdonell, Bart Wijmeersch, Canan Yucesan, Dheeraj Khurana, Jabir Alkhaboori, Jose Luis Sanchez-Menoyo, Jiwon Oh, Orla Gray, Deborah Mason, Katrin Gross-Paju, Farouk Talaat, Melissa Cambron, Justin Garber, Abdorreza Naser Moghadasi, Seyed Mohammad Baghbanian, Nikolaos Grigoriadis, Eduardo Aguera-Morales, Waldemar Brola, Jihad Inshasi, Tamara Castillo-Trivino, Ivana Stetkarova, Jana Houskova, Juan Ignacio Rojas, Mona AlKhawajah, Nevin Shalaby, Bassem Yamout, Simon Cardenas-Robledo, Todd A. Hardy, Jose Antonio Cabrera-Gomez, Pavel Stourac, Dieter Poehlau, Ilya Kister, Oliver Gerlach, Cameron Shaw, Norma Deri, Patrice Lalive, Rana Karabudak, Neil Shuey, Barbara Willekens, Walter Oleschko Arruda, Tunde Csepany, Angel Perez Sempere, Enrique Gomez-Figueroa, John Tzartos, Deborah Field, Joyce Pauline Joseph, Claudio Gobbi, Gregor Brecl Jakob, Nai-Wen Tsai, Fraser Moore, Ismail Ramadan, Danny Decoo, Maria Cecilia Aragon de Vecino, Jennifer Massey, Masayuki Mizuno, Irene Trevino-Frenk, Csilla Rozsa, Marija Cauchi, Norio Chihara, Donald McCarren, Abdullah Al-Asmi, Chiyoko Nohara, Magdolna Simo, Raed Alroughani, Jose Andres Dominguez, Karim Kotkata, Jyh Yung Hor, Elizabeth Alejandra Bacile, Vetere Santiago, Claudia Vasconcelos, Krisztina Kovacs, Mike Boggild, Eli Skromne, Yuri Nakamura, Amit Bar-Or, Anneke van der Walt, Helmut Butzkueven

Research output: Contribution to journal › Meeting Abstract › peer-review

Abstract

Background: The age at onset (AAO) of multiple sclerosis (MS) may be influenced by solar-related environmental factors, such as geomagnetic disturbances (GMD) and ultraviolet radiation (UVR). The life stages during which these exposures may affect AAO remain unclear.
Objective: To investigate the potential associations between GMD and UVR exposures at key life stages and the AAO of MS, using a large global registry.
Methods: Data from 75,359 individuals with MS were collected from the MSBase registry. GMD data were obtained from NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences; UVR data came from the TEMIS database. Exposures were evaluated during fetal life, early childhood (⩽10 years), and the 12 months preceding the symptom onset (symptom-onset year). Associations with AAO were analyzed using partial correlations, group comparisons, and random forest regression (RFR).
Results: GMD exposure during the symptom-onset year showed a moderate inverse correlation with AAO, indicating earlier disease onset with higher GMD. UVR in the same period showed a very weak positive correlation. Group comparisons revealed a lower AAO with higher GMD exposure. RFR identified symptom-onset year GMD exposure as the strongest predictor of AAO, followed by symptom-onset year UVR exposure. Early-life exposures showed no meaningful associations.
Conclusion: Higher GMD exposure in the symptom-onset year is associated with an earlier MS onset. UVR exposure also influences AAO but to a lesser extent. GMD may be a potential environmental risk factor for earlier MS onset, highlighting the need for further mechanistic research.

Original language	English
Article number	S04.5
Journal	Multiple Sclerosis Journal
Volume	32
Issue number	Suppl.1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/13524585261424108
Publication status	Published - Mar 2026
Externally published	Yes
Event	MS Australia: Progress in MS Research Conference 2025 - Brisbane, Australia Duration: 3 Dec 2025 → 5 Dec 2025

Keywords*

Geomagnetic disturbance
MS
Ultraviolet radiation

Field of Science*

3.2 Clinical medicine

Publication Type*

3.3. Publications in conference proceedings indexed in Web of Science and/or Scopus database

Access to Document

10.1177/13524585261424108

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13524585261424108

Cite this

Sajedi, S. A., Zhu, C., Abdollahi, F., Saberi, F., Horakova, D., Ozakbas, S., Zakaria, M., Shaygannejad, V., Etemadifar, M., Khoury, S. J., Weinstock-Guttman, B., Patti, F., Boz, C., Eichau, S., Tomassini, V., Terzi, M., Duquette, P., Kermode, A. G., Karelis, G., ... Butzkueven, H. (2026). Geomagnetic Disturbance and Ultraviolet Exposures Influence Multiple Sclerosis Onset Timing. Multiple Sclerosis Journal, 32(Suppl.1), Article S04.5. https://doi.org/10.1177/13524585261424108

@article{6116bab45f9a40619799e62d9a031657,

title = "Geomagnetic Disturbance and Ultraviolet Exposures Influence Multiple Sclerosis Onset Timing",

abstract = "Background: The age at onset (AAO) of multiple sclerosis (MS) may be influenced by solar-related environmental factors, such as geomagnetic disturbances (GMD) and ultraviolet radiation (UVR). The life stages during which these exposures may affect AAO remain unclear. Objective: To investigate the potential associations between GMD and UVR exposures at key life stages and the AAO of MS, using a large global registry. Methods: Data from 75,359 individuals with MS were collected from the MSBase registry. GMD data were obtained from NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences; UVR data came from the TEMIS database. Exposures were evaluated during fetal life, early childhood (⩽10 years), and the 12 months preceding the symptom onset (symptom-onset year). Associations with AAO were analyzed using partial correlations, group comparisons, and random forest regression (RFR). Results: GMD exposure during the symptom-onset year showed a moderate inverse correlation with AAO, indicating earlier disease onset with higher GMD. UVR in the same period showed a very weak positive correlation. Group comparisons revealed a lower AAO with higher GMD exposure. RFR identified symptom-onset year GMD exposure as the strongest predictor of AAO, followed by symptom-onset year UVR exposure. Early-life exposures showed no meaningful associations. Conclusion: Higher GMD exposure in the symptom-onset year is associated with an earlier MS onset. UVR exposure also influences AAO but to a lesser extent. GMD may be a potential environmental risk factor for earlier MS onset, highlighting the need for further mechanistic research.",

keywords = "Geomagnetic disturbance, MS, Ultraviolet radiation",

author = "Sajedi, \{Seyed Aidin\} and Chao Zhu and Fahimeh Abdollahi and Fatemeh Saberi and Dana Horakova and Serkan Ozakbas and Magd Zakaria and Vahid Shaygannejad and Masoud Etemadifar and Khoury, \{Samia J.\} and Bianca Weinstock-Guttman and Francesco Patti and Cavit Boz and Sara Eichau and Valentina Tomassini and Murat Terzi and Pierre Duquette and Kermode, \{Allan G.\} and Guntis Karelis and Amato, \{Maria Pia\} and Jana Libertinova and Francois Grand'Maison and Nevin Shalaby and Tomas Kalincik and Katherine Buzzard and Mario Habek and Yolanda Blanco and Pierre Grammond and Jeannette Lechner-Scott and Meca-Lallana, \{Jose E.\} and Ayse Altintas and Pavel Hradilek and \{de Gans\}, Koen and Recai Turkoglu and Zuzana Rous and Davide Maimone and Marek Paterka and Michael Barnett and Julie Prevost and Aysun Soysal and Emanuele D'Amico and Matteo Foschi and Riadh Gouider and Radek Ampapa and Stella Hughes and Nevin John and \{van Pesch\}, Vincent and Cristina Ramo-Tello and Miroslav Mares and Carmen-Adella Sirbu and Zbysek Pavelek and Miguel D'Haeseleer and Celia Oreja-Guevara and Chris McGuigan and \{Di Gregorio\}, Maria and Elisabetta Cartechini and Jens Kuhle and Daniele Spitaleri and Yetkin, \{Mehmet Fatih\} and Bhim Singhal and Suzanne Hodgkinson and Claudio Solaro and Edgardo Cristiano and Mark Slee and Guy Laureys and Chokri Mhiri and Pamela McCombe and Bruce Taylor and Eva Recmanova and Emmanuelle Lapointe and Thor Petersen and Talal Al-Harbi and Richard Macdonell and Bart Wijmeersch and Canan Yucesan and Dheeraj Khurana and Jabir Alkhaboori and Sanchez-Menoyo, \{Jose Luis\} and Jiwon Oh and Orla Gray and Deborah Mason and Katrin Gross-Paju and Farouk Talaat and Melissa Cambron and Justin Garber and Moghadasi, \{Abdorreza Naser\} and Baghbanian, \{Seyed Mohammad\} and Nikolaos Grigoriadis and Eduardo Aguera-Morales and Waldemar Brola and Jihad Inshasi and Tamara Castillo-Trivino and Ivana Stetkarova and Jana Houskova and \{Ignacio Rojas\}, Juan and Mona AlKhawajah and Nevin Shalaby and Bassem Yamout and Simon Cardenas-Robledo and Hardy, \{Todd A.\} and Cabrera-Gomez, \{Jose Antonio\} and Pavel Stourac and Dieter Poehlau and Ilya Kister and Oliver Gerlach and Cameron Shaw and Norma Deri and Patrice Lalive and Rana Karabudak and Neil Shuey and Barbara Willekens and Arruda, \{Walter Oleschko\} and Tunde Csepany and \{Perez Sempere\}, Angel and Enrique Gomez-Figueroa and John Tzartos and Deborah Field and Joseph, \{Joyce Pauline\} and Claudio Gobbi and Jakob, \{Gregor Brecl\} and Nai-Wen Tsai and Fraser Moore and Ismail Ramadan and Danny Decoo and \{Aragon de Vecino\}, \{Maria Cecilia\} and Jennifer Massey and Masayuki Mizuno and Irene Trevino-Frenk and Csilla Rozsa and Marija Cauchi and Norio Chihara and Donald McCarren and Abdullah Al-Asmi and Chiyoko Nohara and Magdolna Simo and Raed Alroughani and Dominguez, \{Jose Andres\} and Karim Kotkata and Hor, \{Jyh Yung\} and \{Alejandra Bacile\}, Elizabeth and Vetere Santiago and Claudia Vasconcelos and Krisztina Kovacs and Mike Boggild and Eli Skromne and Yuri Nakamura and Amit Bar-Or and \{van der Walt\}, Anneke and Helmut Butzkueven",

year = "2026",

month = mar,

doi = "10.1177/13524585261424108",

language = "English",

volume = "32",

journal = "Multiple Sclerosis Journal",

issn = "1352-4585",

publisher = "SAGE Publications Ltd",

number = "Suppl.1",

note = "MS Australia: Progress in MS Research Conference 2025 ; Conference date: 03-12-2025 Through 05-12-2025",

}

Sajedi, SA, Zhu, C, Abdollahi, F, Saberi, F, Horakova, D, Ozakbas, S, Zakaria, M, Shaygannejad, V, Etemadifar, M, Khoury, SJ, Weinstock-Guttman, B, Patti, F, Boz, C, Eichau, S, Tomassini, V, Terzi, M, Duquette, P, Kermode, AG, Karelis, G, Amato, MP, Libertinova, J, Grand'Maison, F, Shalaby, N, Kalincik, T, Buzzard, K, Habek, M, Blanco, Y, Grammond, P, Lechner-Scott, J, Meca-Lallana, JE, Altintas, A, Hradilek, P, de Gans, K, Turkoglu, R, Rous, Z, Maimone, D, Paterka, M, Barnett, M, Prevost, J, Soysal, A, D'Amico, E, Foschi, M, Gouider, R, Ampapa, R, Hughes, S, John, N, van Pesch, V, Ramo-Tello, C, Mares, M, Sirbu, C-A, Pavelek, Z, D'Haeseleer, M, Oreja-Guevara, C, McGuigan, C, Di Gregorio, M, Cartechini, E, Kuhle, J, Spitaleri, D, Yetkin, MF, Singhal, B, Hodgkinson, S, Solaro, C, Cristiano, E, Slee, M, Laureys, G, Mhiri, C, McCombe, P, Taylor, B, Recmanova, E, Lapointe, E, Petersen, T, Al-Harbi, T, Macdonell, R, Wijmeersch, B, Yucesan, C, Khurana, D, Alkhaboori, J, Sanchez-Menoyo, JL, Oh, J, Gray, O, Mason, D, Gross-Paju, K, Talaat, F, Cambron, M, Garber, J, Moghadasi, AN, Baghbanian, SM, Grigoriadis, N, Aguera-Morales, E, Brola, W, Inshasi, J, Castillo-Trivino, T, Stetkarova, I, Houskova, J, Ignacio Rojas, J, AlKhawajah, M, Shalaby, N, Yamout, B, Cardenas-Robledo, S, Hardy, TA, Cabrera-Gomez, JA, Stourac, P, Poehlau, D, Kister, I, Gerlach, O, Shaw, C, Deri, N, Lalive, P, Karabudak, R, Shuey, N, Willekens, B, Arruda, WO, Csepany, T, Perez Sempere, A, Gomez-Figueroa, E, Tzartos, J, Field, D, Joseph, JP, Gobbi, C, Jakob, GB, Tsai, N-W, Moore, F, Ramadan, I, Decoo, D, Aragon de Vecino, MC, Massey, J, Mizuno, M, Trevino-Frenk, I, Rozsa, C, Cauchi, M, Chihara, N, McCarren, D, Al-Asmi, A, Nohara, C, Simo, M, Alroughani, R, Dominguez, JA, Kotkata, K, Hor, JY, Alejandra Bacile, E, Santiago, V, Vasconcelos, C, Kovacs, K, Boggild, M, Skromne, E, Nakamura, Y, Bar-Or, A, van der Walt, A & Butzkueven, H 2026, 'Geomagnetic Disturbance and Ultraviolet Exposures Influence Multiple Sclerosis Onset Timing', Multiple Sclerosis Journal, vol. 32, no. Suppl.1, S04.5. https://doi.org/10.1177/13524585261424108

TY - JOUR

T1 - Geomagnetic Disturbance and Ultraviolet Exposures Influence Multiple Sclerosis Onset Timing

AU - Sajedi, Seyed Aidin

AU - Zhu, Chao

AU - Abdollahi, Fahimeh

AU - Saberi, Fatemeh

AU - Horakova, Dana

AU - Ozakbas, Serkan

AU - Zakaria, Magd

AU - Shaygannejad, Vahid

AU - Etemadifar, Masoud

AU - Khoury, Samia J.

AU - Weinstock-Guttman, Bianca

AU - Patti, Francesco

AU - Boz, Cavit

AU - Eichau, Sara

AU - Tomassini, Valentina

AU - Terzi, Murat

AU - Duquette, Pierre

AU - Kermode, Allan G.

AU - Karelis, Guntis

AU - Amato, Maria Pia

AU - Libertinova, Jana

AU - Grand'Maison, Francois

AU - Shalaby, Nevin

AU - Kalincik, Tomas

AU - Buzzard, Katherine

AU - Habek, Mario

AU - Blanco, Yolanda

AU - Grammond, Pierre

AU - Lechner-Scott, Jeannette

AU - Meca-Lallana, Jose E.

AU - Altintas, Ayse

AU - Hradilek, Pavel

AU - de Gans, Koen

AU - Turkoglu, Recai

AU - Rous, Zuzana

AU - Maimone, Davide

AU - Paterka, Marek

AU - Barnett, Michael

AU - Prevost, Julie

AU - Soysal, Aysun

AU - D'Amico, Emanuele

AU - Foschi, Matteo

AU - Gouider, Riadh

AU - Ampapa, Radek

AU - Hughes, Stella

AU - John, Nevin

AU - van Pesch, Vincent

AU - Ramo-Tello, Cristina

AU - Mares, Miroslav

AU - Sirbu, Carmen-Adella

AU - Pavelek, Zbysek

AU - D'Haeseleer, Miguel

AU - Oreja-Guevara, Celia

AU - McGuigan, Chris

AU - Di Gregorio, Maria

AU - Cartechini, Elisabetta

AU - Kuhle, Jens

AU - Spitaleri, Daniele

AU - Yetkin, Mehmet Fatih

AU - Singhal, Bhim

AU - Hodgkinson, Suzanne

AU - Solaro, Claudio

AU - Cristiano, Edgardo

AU - Slee, Mark

AU - Laureys, Guy

AU - Mhiri, Chokri

AU - McCombe, Pamela

AU - Taylor, Bruce

AU - Recmanova, Eva

AU - Lapointe, Emmanuelle

AU - Petersen, Thor

AU - Al-Harbi, Talal

AU - Macdonell, Richard

AU - Wijmeersch, Bart

AU - Yucesan, Canan

AU - Khurana, Dheeraj

AU - Alkhaboori, Jabir

AU - Sanchez-Menoyo, Jose Luis

AU - Oh, Jiwon

AU - Gray, Orla

AU - Mason, Deborah

AU - Gross-Paju, Katrin

AU - Talaat, Farouk

AU - Cambron, Melissa

AU - Garber, Justin

AU - Moghadasi, Abdorreza Naser

AU - Baghbanian, Seyed Mohammad

AU - Grigoriadis, Nikolaos

AU - Aguera-Morales, Eduardo

AU - Brola, Waldemar

AU - Inshasi, Jihad

AU - Castillo-Trivino, Tamara

AU - Stetkarova, Ivana

AU - Houskova, Jana

AU - Ignacio Rojas, Juan

AU - AlKhawajah, Mona

AU - Shalaby, Nevin

AU - Yamout, Bassem

AU - Cardenas-Robledo, Simon

AU - Hardy, Todd A.

AU - Cabrera-Gomez, Jose Antonio

AU - Stourac, Pavel

AU - Poehlau, Dieter

AU - Kister, Ilya

AU - Gerlach, Oliver

AU - Shaw, Cameron

AU - Deri, Norma

AU - Lalive, Patrice

AU - Karabudak, Rana

AU - Shuey, Neil

AU - Willekens, Barbara

AU - Arruda, Walter Oleschko

AU - Csepany, Tunde

AU - Perez Sempere, Angel

AU - Gomez-Figueroa, Enrique

AU - Tzartos, John

AU - Field, Deborah

AU - Joseph, Joyce Pauline

AU - Gobbi, Claudio

AU - Jakob, Gregor Brecl

AU - Tsai, Nai-Wen

AU - Moore, Fraser

AU - Ramadan, Ismail

AU - Decoo, Danny

AU - Aragon de Vecino, Maria Cecilia

AU - Massey, Jennifer

AU - Mizuno, Masayuki

AU - Trevino-Frenk, Irene

AU - Rozsa, Csilla

AU - Cauchi, Marija

AU - Chihara, Norio

AU - McCarren, Donald

AU - Al-Asmi, Abdullah

AU - Nohara, Chiyoko

AU - Simo, Magdolna

AU - Alroughani, Raed

AU - Dominguez, Jose Andres

AU - Kotkata, Karim

AU - Hor, Jyh Yung

AU - Alejandra Bacile, Elizabeth

AU - Santiago, Vetere

AU - Vasconcelos, Claudia

AU - Kovacs, Krisztina

AU - Boggild, Mike

AU - Skromne, Eli

AU - Nakamura, Yuri

AU - Bar-Or, Amit

AU - van der Walt, Anneke

AU - Butzkueven, Helmut

PY - 2026/3

Y1 - 2026/3

N2 - Background: The age at onset (AAO) of multiple sclerosis (MS) may be influenced by solar-related environmental factors, such as geomagnetic disturbances (GMD) and ultraviolet radiation (UVR). The life stages during which these exposures may affect AAO remain unclear. Objective: To investigate the potential associations between GMD and UVR exposures at key life stages and the AAO of MS, using a large global registry. Methods: Data from 75,359 individuals with MS were collected from the MSBase registry. GMD data were obtained from NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences; UVR data came from the TEMIS database. Exposures were evaluated during fetal life, early childhood (⩽10 years), and the 12 months preceding the symptom onset (symptom-onset year). Associations with AAO were analyzed using partial correlations, group comparisons, and random forest regression (RFR). Results: GMD exposure during the symptom-onset year showed a moderate inverse correlation with AAO, indicating earlier disease onset with higher GMD. UVR in the same period showed a very weak positive correlation. Group comparisons revealed a lower AAO with higher GMD exposure. RFR identified symptom-onset year GMD exposure as the strongest predictor of AAO, followed by symptom-onset year UVR exposure. Early-life exposures showed no meaningful associations. Conclusion: Higher GMD exposure in the symptom-onset year is associated with an earlier MS onset. UVR exposure also influences AAO but to a lesser extent. GMD may be a potential environmental risk factor for earlier MS onset, highlighting the need for further mechanistic research.

AB - Background: The age at onset (AAO) of multiple sclerosis (MS) may be influenced by solar-related environmental factors, such as geomagnetic disturbances (GMD) and ultraviolet radiation (UVR). The life stages during which these exposures may affect AAO remain unclear. Objective: To investigate the potential associations between GMD and UVR exposures at key life stages and the AAO of MS, using a large global registry. Methods: Data from 75,359 individuals with MS were collected from the MSBase registry. GMD data were obtained from NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences; UVR data came from the TEMIS database. Exposures were evaluated during fetal life, early childhood (⩽10 years), and the 12 months preceding the symptom onset (symptom-onset year). Associations with AAO were analyzed using partial correlations, group comparisons, and random forest regression (RFR). Results: GMD exposure during the symptom-onset year showed a moderate inverse correlation with AAO, indicating earlier disease onset with higher GMD. UVR in the same period showed a very weak positive correlation. Group comparisons revealed a lower AAO with higher GMD exposure. RFR identified symptom-onset year GMD exposure as the strongest predictor of AAO, followed by symptom-onset year UVR exposure. Early-life exposures showed no meaningful associations. Conclusion: Higher GMD exposure in the symptom-onset year is associated with an earlier MS onset. UVR exposure also influences AAO but to a lesser extent. GMD may be a potential environmental risk factor for earlier MS onset, highlighting the need for further mechanistic research.

KW - Geomagnetic disturbance

KW - MS

KW - Ultraviolet radiation

UR - https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=rsu_pure_&SrcAuth=WosAPI&KeyUT=WOS:001740440700002&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=WOS_CPL

U2 - 10.1177/13524585261424108

DO - 10.1177/13524585261424108

M3 - Meeting Abstract

SN - 1352-4585

VL - 32

JO - Multiple Sclerosis Journal

JF - Multiple Sclerosis Journal

IS - Suppl.1

M1 - S04.5

T2 - MS Australia: Progress in MS Research Conference 2025

Y2 - 3 December 2025 through 5 December 2025

ER -

Geomagnetic Disturbance and Ultraviolet Exposures Influence Multiple Sclerosis Onset Timing

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