Aim: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system in which environmental factors such as nutrition, lifestyle, infections, and hygiene may contribute to its etiology. This study aimed to compare personal hygiene, food hygiene, and food preparation practices between MS patients and healthy individuals.Material and Methods: This case–control study was conducted between January and June 2017 at the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic of the Department of Neurology, Marmara University Training and Research Hospital. A total of 100 patients diagnosed with MS according to the McDonald criteria and 60 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included. Data regarding personal hygiene, food hygiene, and food preparation practices were collected using structured face-to-face questionnaires. Categorical variables were analyzed using chi-square tests, and statistical significance was accepted as p0.05.Results: No significant differences were observed between MS patients and controls regarding personal hygiene practices, including handwashing frequency, bathing habits, and animal contact. However, significant differences were found in some food hygiene practices. Washing vegetables by soaking them in vinegar was more common among MS patients than controls (42.0% vs. 25.0%; p=0.045). In addition, frying meat in oil was reported more frequently in the MS group (p=0.011).Conclusion: While personal hygiene practices were similar between MS patients and healthy individuals, differences were identified in food hygiene and cooking methods. These differences may represent modifiable environmental risk factors for MS. Further studies with larger sample sizes and up-to-date data are needed.
Oguz et al. (Sun,) studied this question.