Comparison of clinical and demographic data of familial multiple sclerosis patients with control group

Introduction and objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a recurrent autoimmune disease of the central nervous system characterized by demyelination and axon damage. It is most common between the ages of 20-40 years and is slightly more common in women. The autoimmune nature of the disease is more common in patients with a family history of MS, although no gene defect has been demonstrated for genetic transmission. In this study, we aimed to compare familial multiple sclerosis (FMS) patients with sporadic multiple sclerosis (SMS) in patients with MS in our clinic. Materials and Methods: Our study was planned retrospectively. The files of 1014 patients diagnosed with MS in the demyelinating diseases outpatient clinic of Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology were reviewed and 57 patients diagnosed with FMS and 100 age and gender matched SMS patients were included as control group. Demographic data, age at onset, disease duration, onset symptoms, comorbid diseases, 1 st and 5 th year EDSS scores, treatments and treatment responses were recorded. Results: In our study, the ratio of patients diagnosed with FMS to total patients was 5.6%. There were no significant differences between FMS and SMS patients in terms of gender, age, mode of onset and duration of disease. Although baseline EDSS score was higher in FMS patients, it was not statistically significant. 5 th year EDSS was higher in FMS patients, but there was no statistically significant difference. Conclusions: Genetic predisposition is well known in autoimmune inherited MS. The data we obtained in this study are compatible with the findings in the literature. This study, which aims to contribute to the few studies conducted in our country, should be supported with larger case groups. Key words: Multiple sclerosis, Familial multiple sclerosis, Genetic transmission, Clinical findings, Demographic findings