Neurology: Pregnancy-related recurrence and breastfeeding in women with multiple sclerosis

A recent study published in Neurology, an authoritative journal of neurology, aims to clarify whether women diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) based on current criteria are associated with an increased risk of postpartum recurrence and to assess whether this risk can be modified by breastfeeding or TREATMENT of MS disease (DMT)researchers assessed 375 women of MS (466 pregnancies in total) and their infant electronic health records (EHRs)The researchers forward-lookingly collected EHR information about mothers and infants at medical facilities in Southern and Northern California between 2008 and 2016 to determine the history of treatment, breastfeeding, and relapseThe researchers analyzed a multivariate model that reflected the severity of the diseaseone year after the birth of the, 26.4% of the subjects relapsed, 87% breastfed, 36% breastfed for at least two months, and 58.8% did not use DMTsIn the early stages of pregnancy, 67.2% of the subjects developed a disease with poor controlThe annualized recurrence rate (ARRs) decreased from 0.37 before pregnancy to 0.14-0.07 (p0.0001) during pregnancy, but no rebound disease activity was observed in the postnatal periodThe ARR for the first 3 months after delivery was 0.27, and in 4-6 months it returned to pre-pregnancy levels (0.37)Exclusive breastfeeding reduced the risk of early recurrence after birth (adjusted risk ratio of 0.37, p .009), the severity of the disease increased the risk, and the recovery of moderately effective DMTs had no significant effect (time-related covariates, p-0.62)shows that most women with MS can now give birth without increasing the risk of recurrenceWomen with poor pre-pregnancy disease control can benefit from efficient DMTs that do not conflict with pregnancy and lactation, and WOMEN with MS should be encouraged to exclusively breastfeed