Month of birth has an effect on the immune system

(Immunization) - The development of the immune system in newborn babies and vitamin D levels vary depending on the month of birth, a new study suggests.

Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London and Oxford University provided a biological basis to explain why some people are at risk of developing Multiple Sclerosis (MS) due to the effects of birth month. This study also supports further studies on the benefits of vitamin D supplementation throughout pregnancy.

About 100,000 people in the UK have multiple sclerosis, a neurological condition that is ineffective because the body's own immune system harms the central nervous system. This hinders the process of transmitting information between the brain and other parts of the body, causing vision problems, muscle control, hearing and memory.

The development of MS is thought to be the result of a complex interaction between genes and the environment.

Some population studies suggest that your birth month may affect your risk of developing MS. The effect of birth month and MS has very clear evidence in the UK, where the risk of MS disease peaks in people born in May and lowest in those born in November. When vitamin D is formed By skin when the skin is exposed to sunlight, the effect of the birth month is explained as evidence of the prenatal role of vitamin D in the risk of MS.

In this study, blood samples extracted from the umbilical cord of newborns were taken from 50 babies born in November and 50 babies born in May from 2009 to 2010 in London.

The scientists analyzed and evaluated vitamin D levels and levels of Autoreactive T-cells. T cells are white blood cells (leukocytes), which play an important role in the body's immune response. Leukocytes have the function of identifying and killing pathogens, such as viruses. However, some white blood cells are 'self-reactive' and have the ability to attack the body's cells, causing autoimmune diseases and need to be removed by the immune system during its development.

The treatment of these leukocytes is carried out by thymus glands, a specialized organ of the immune system located in the chest cavity.

The results showed that babies born in May had lower levels of vitamin D (about 20% compared with those born in November) and self-reactive white blood cells (nearly double), compared with those in November. children born in November.

The co-author of the study, Dr. Sreeram Ramagopalan, a lecturer in neuroscience at Barts, London School of Medicine and Dentistry, a division of Queen Mary, said higher levels of autonomic leukocytes could work. This is why babies born in May are at a higher risk of developing MS.

'Relationships with vitamin D suggest that this may be the source of this effect. Long-term studies are needed to assess the effects of vitamin D supplementation in pregnant women, subsequent effects on immune system development and risk of MS and other autoimmune diseases. '