Adverse lipid profile is not associated with relapse risk in MS: results from an observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that serum lipids and apolipoproteins may be associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical course. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between serum lipids, apolipoproteins, body mass index and relapse in MS. METHODS: A prospective cohort of 141 participants with relapsing-remitting MS was followed from 2002 to 2005. Serum lipid and apolipoprotein levels were measured biannually, and body mass index at baseline. The association with hazard of relapse was assessed using survival analysis. RESULTS: Neither body mass index nor any of the lipid-related measures were associated with the hazard of relapse. CONCLUSION: Serum lipid profile and body mass index are not associated with the hazard of relapse in MS.