ABSTRACT

Background:  Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common multifactorial neurological disorder that is caused by a combination of several genetic and environmental factors. No studies focused on familial cases and the possible role of parental consanguinity (PC) in Palestine.  This study aimed to compare several risk factors, clinical course, initial symptoms, and disability prevalence between familial MS (FMS) cases with sporadic MS (SMS) in the Palestinian population.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenient sample of 90 SMS and 31 FMS cases. Data was obtained from Neurology clinics. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 IBM to assess the differences between FMS and SMS in terms of several variables, including risk factors, clinical course, initial symptoms, and disability prevalence. 

Results: A total of 90 SMS cases and 31 FMS cases were enrolled in the study. More males (45.2%) had FMS compared with 35% within the SMS group. In contrast, more females had SMS (64.4%), compared to 54.8% within the FMS group. However, more females than males had either form of MS. Parental consanguinity was reported in around 40% of both the SMS and FMS groups. The mean age of onset was the same among both groups (28.5 in SMS and 27.26 in FMS) and almost all patients of the two groups had a recurrence of attacks of MS. No significant difference between SMS and FMS regarding risk factors and lifestyle characteristics. The presence of autoimmune diseases was reported only within the SMS. The relapsing-remitting clinical course predominates within the two groups. The initial presenting symptoms and disabilities prevalence was not significantly varied between the SMS and FMS.

Conclusion: There were no significant differences between SMS and FMS in terms of demographics, risk factors, disability, clinical course, and PC.

Title

Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal

Publisher

An-Najah National University

Publisher Country

Palestine

Indexing

Scopus

Impact Factor

None

Publication Type

Online only

Volume

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Year

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Pages

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