Multiple sclerosis in South East Asia and diagnostic criteria for Asians

Authors

Heng Thay ChongFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2008

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis is an uncommon disease in Southeast Asia, having been characterised only recently. The estimated prevalence is about 2 - 3/ 105, with high female to male ratio, but rare family history. As high as 40% of the patients had the optic-spinal phenotype; though patients in this region seldom progressed to the secondary progressive phase, disability was more severe due to severe spinal cord involvement. There is a great degree of overlap in clinical, radiological and laboratory features between the classical and the optic-spinal phenotypes, including long spinal cord involvement, few brain lesions, lower proportion of positive cerebrospinal fluid oligoclonal bands and anti-aquaporin-4 antibody. We proposed that future international diagnostic criteria need to take this into account.

Keywords

Myelooptic Neuropathy, Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein, Aquaporin 4

Divisions

fac_med

Publication Title

Neurology Asia

Volume

13

Issue

2

Publisher

ASEAN Neurological Association