The month of birth effect describes the apparent association between month of birth and future risk of multiple sclerosis, whereby people born in spring months have slightly increased risk. A recent analysis of the available data, however, suggests that this relationship is spurious because studies have not adequately controlled for confounders.
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The research programme of the Rotterdam MS Centre ErasMS is supported by the Dutch MS Research Foundation.
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Hintzen, R. Month of birth effect in MS—fact or artefact?. Nat Rev Neurol 9, 489–490 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2013.156
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2013.156
