Rate more than double February 22, 2002 People who keep birds as
pets are more than twice as likely to develop multiple sclerosis
than those who do not, probably because the diseases birds carry
weaken their owners' immune systems and trigger MS, according to
a Université de Montréal epidemiologist. Cat owners, on the
other hand, have far less chance of developing the neurological
disease, likely because they tend to take better care of their
own health. In his survey of the lifestyle habits of 200
Montrealers who suffer from MS, Dr. Parviz Ghadirian showed that
the presence of a bird in the house increased the risk of
contracting the disease by 2 1/2 times. This effect was
particularly pronounced in women. Dr. Ghadirian, director of
epidemiological research at the Université de Montréal hospital,
speculated the gender difference could be because women are more
likely to clean birdcages and be in close contact with the
birds. "This is my interpretation," he said. "We're just
guessing." Women generally have hi