Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38877717›Full record

ArticleMultiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England)2024

No association between oral contraceptive exposure and subsequent MS: A population-based nested case-control study in primary care.

Qiqi Zhang, Alastair J Noyce, John Robson, Gavin Giovannoni, Charles R Marshall, Ruth Dobson

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. The association between prescribed hormonal contraception and multiple sclerosis risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Qiqi ZhangCentre for Preventive Neurology, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Alastair J NoyceCentre for Preventive Neurology, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
John RobsonCentre for Primary Care, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Gavin GiovannoniDepartment of Neurology, Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.
Charles R MarshallCentre for Preventive Neurology, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Ruth DobsonCentre for Preventive Neurology, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2993-585X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundConflicting data exist around oral contraceptive exposure and subsequent multiple sclerosis (MS).

objectiveTo use routinely collected primary healthcare data to explore the potential association between oral contraceptive exposure and subsequent MS in females at population level.

methodsWe performed a nested case-control study using electronic primary care data, with complete electronic ascertainment from 1990. Logistic regression was used to evaluate associations between contraceptive exposure and MS, without and with adjusting for age, ethnicity and deprivation.

resultsA total of 4455 females were included: 891 cases and 3564 controls. No association was seen between oral contraceptive exposure and subsequent MS, or between any contraceptive, combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP) or progesterone-only pill (POP) use 0-2, 2-5 or >5 years prior to MS. Conclusions: In the largest population-based study to date, we find no evidence of an association between oral contraceptive exposure and subsequent MS diagnosis.

Indexed as

Contraceptives, OralMultiple SclerosisPrimary Health CareAdolescentAdultCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansMiddle AgedYoung AdultContraceptives, OralEpidemiologymultiple sclerosis

Identifiers

PMID38877717
PMCPMC11660507

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.