Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42238837›Full record

ArticleNeurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)2026

Identifying Risk Factors for the Rising Prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis in Saudi Arabia: A case-control analysis.

Omar Babateen, Jamil Adnan Samkari, Rewaa Abdulaziz Alkaki, Sadin Ayman Alamri, Manal Mutlaq Alzahrani, Mussaed Saleh Alharbi, Ali Abdulrazaq Alghamdi, Amwaj Sultan Aljurays, Amjad Faleh Aldosari, Seraj Makkawi

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In one paragraph

Article in Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

10 authors.

Omar BabateenDepartment of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0002-1341-2616
Jamil Adnan SamkariDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0002-4784-3086
Rewaa Abdulaziz AlkakiCollege of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Sadin Ayman AlamriCollege of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Manal Mutlaq AlzahraniCollege of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Mussaed Saleh AlharbiDepartment of Internal Medicine, King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Ali Abdulrazaq AlghamdiCollege of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Amwaj Sultan AljuraysDepartment of Medicine, Almithnab General Hospital, Qassim, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Amjad Faleh AldosariCollege of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Seraj MakkawiCollege of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0002-0892-8669

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to identify risk factors linked to the increasing prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Saudi Arabia. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune condition affecting the central nervous system, marked by inflammation and damage to nerves and the myelin sheath. Method: A case-control study conducted from September 2022 to January 2024 included 832 participants-263 diagnosed with MS and 569 controls. Controls were matched by age, gender, residence, and employment status. Data was collected using a validated questionnaire, with written consent obtained from participants aged 18 and older. Logistic regression analysis was used to ascertain risk factors. Results: Out of 832 participants, 263 (31.6%) were diagnosed with MS. The greatest percentage of MS cases occurred in the 25-34 age range (37.7%). After adjusting for potential confounders, smoking was significantly associated with increased MS risk (AOR = 2.34, 95% CI: [1.22-4.48], Conclusion: Smoking, vitamin D deficiency, and a history of childhood sexual abuse increase MS risk, while vitamin D supplementation and coffee consumption reduce it. Further research is essential to confirm these findings.

Indexed as

Multiple SclerosisAdolescentAdultCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPrevalenceRisk FactorsSaudi ArabiaSmokingVitamin D DeficiencyYoung AdultCase-control studyMultiple sclerosisPrevalenceRisk factorsSaudi Arabia

Identifiers

PMID42238837
PMCPMC13169298

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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.