engleski

Demyelination in asymptomatic relatives of multiple sclerosis patients

Some close relatives of MS patients have been found to have MRI changes suggestive of MS despite the absence of any symptoms of the disease. They are well beyond the usual age of clinical onset of the disease. The presence of these MRI "lesions" raises a number of questions regarding their clinical significance, if any, in particular since typical MS plaques have been found at autopsy in eloquent parts of the nervous system in completely asymptomatic individuals, as are as large areas of increased signal intensity in T2 weighted MRIs. Do these patients suffer from the disease MS? Not according to various dictionary definitions. Because of genetic susceptibility one would expect a higher rate of MS inclose blood relatives but suggestive MRI changes in such persons are uncommon, even in the unaffected twins of MS patients. Finally, a review of the four published studies of MS lesions unexpectedly found at autopsy in neurologically asymptomatic persons, revealed a prevalence of the disease of 0.1%, exactly the same as the estimated prevalence of clinical MS in the United States.

multiple sclerosis; asymptomatic relatives; magnetic resonance imaging; lesions

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