Correlation of Breastfeeding with Disease Development and Progression in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

INTRODUCTION: Breastfeeding during infancy has been shown to be protective against autoimmune diseases. This study aimed to determine the correlation between breastfeeding during infancy and disease development and progression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
METHODS: This study included 180 participants, comprising 90 patients with MS and a control group of 90 healthy individuals. Demographic characteristics, duration of disease, age of onset, number of attacks, annual relapse rate, expanded disability status scale (EDSS) scores, and duration of breastfeeding of patients with MS were recorded.
RESULTS: No significant difference was found between the two groups; the duration of breastfeeding was 13.67±9 months in the MS group and 14.3±9.4 months in the control group. Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference in age of onset, annual relapse rate, number of attacks, or EDSS values between groups with ≤4 months and >4 months of breastfeeding and between ≤6 months and >6 months of breastfeeding.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, breastfeeding duration was not significantly correlated with disease development, age of onset, or disease progression in patients with MS. However, further studies with a larger sample group are required to validate the findings.