More severe disability of North Africans vs Europeans with multiple sclerosis in France

Neurology. 2007 Jan 2;68(1):29-32. doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000250347.51674.d7.

Abstract

Objective: To compare the clinical disease progression in European (E) and North African (NA) patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in France.

Methods: We compared the clinical features of MS in 211 NA patients and 2,945 E patients in a French population-based cohort with definite MS according to McDonald's criteria.

Results: Among the NA patients with MS, 66.4% were women vs 72.9% of the E patients (p = 0.04), 15.6% had a primary progressive form of MS vs 11.7% of the E patients (p = 0.08), and the mean age at onset was 29.9 +/- 9.8 years in the NA patients vs 32.9 +/- 10.6 years in the E patients (p < 0.0001). In the NA patients, there was a higher proportion of patients with incomplete recovery from the first relapse (p < 0.0001), a shorter time between the first two relapses (p = 0.02), a higher number of relapses in the first 5 years (p = 0.03), and a shorter time to reach an Expanded Disability Status Scale score of 4.0 (p = 0.001) or 6.0 (p < 0.0001). The only statistical difference in these factors between NA patients born in France and those born in North Africa was the mean age at onset of symptoms: it was earlier in NA patients born in France (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: The course of multiple sclerosis is more aggressive in North African than in European patients.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Africa, Northern / epidemiology
  • Black People* / genetics
  • Cohort Studies
  • Disability Evaluation*
  • Female
  • France / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multiple Sclerosis / epidemiology*
  • Multiple Sclerosis / genetics
  • Multiple Sclerosis / physiopathology
  • Prospective Studies
  • Retrospective Studies
  • White People* / genetics