Patients with multiple sclerosis do not necessarily consume more alcohol or tobacco than the general population

Abstract

Objective: Recent papers suggest that patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are prone to alcohol misuse. This may be due to the combination of a lifelong and disabling disease with a psychiatric profile typical of MS. The objective of the present study was to assess these findings in a culturally different population of patients with MS. Method: The present case-control transversal study assessed 168 patients with MS and 168 control subjects from Brazil. Results: There were no evidence that patients with MS drank more alcohol or, smoked more than did controls. In fact, control subjects had a significantly higher alcohol consumption. The only trait associated to higher alcohol consumption was anxiety, both for patients and controls. Conclusion: Unlike previous reports in the literature, patients with MS in our study did not drink or smoked more than a control population.