The StERKE add-on study is a case–control study embedded in the German National Cohort (NAKO) and was conducted from November 2021 to March 2022 in 16 of the 18 NAKO study centers.
Within the framework of the study, NAKO participants with and without multiple sclerosis (MS) were surveyed on risk factors using a questionnaire and compared with each other. Of particular interest were, among others, prenatal factors, pre-existing conditions as well as diseases in childhood, stressful life events, physical activity, and dietary behavior. Initial results of the study have been published, and further publications will follow.
Publications:
Holz A, Obi N, Pischon T, et al. The relation of multiple sclerosis to family history, lifestyle, and health factors in childhood and adolescence: findings of a case–control study nested within the German National Cohort (NAKO) study. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2025;112(13):348–354. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.m2025.0069.
Holz A, Obi N, Ahrens W, et al. Childhood and adolescence factors and multiple sclerosis: results from the German National Cohort (NAKO). BMC Neurology. 2024;24(1):123. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-024-03620-4
