Release Date: April 28, 2010
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Low vitamin D levels may be associated with more advanced physical disability and cognitive impairment in persons with multiple sclerosis, studies conducted by neurologists at the University at Buffalo have shown.
Their results, reported at the American Academy of Neurology meeting, held earlier this month, indicated that:
• The majority of MS patients and healthy controls had insufficient vitamin D levels.
• Clinical evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images show low blood levels of total vitamin D and certain active vitamin D byproducts are associated with increased disability, brain atrophy and brain lesion load in MS patients.
• A potential association exists between cognitive impairment in MS patients and low vitamin D levels