Do Male Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Have an Excess of Female Offspring?

Verdier-Taillefer, M.-H.; Alpérovitch, Annick

doi:10.1159/000110242

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…On the basis of this information, neurologists of INSERM classified the patients as definite or probable MS in 92% and possible MS in 4% by the Poser criteria (9, and other neurologic diseases in 4%. The entire series was thought to represent about one-third of all MS in France, if the national prevalence rate were 40 per 100,000 as had been estimated (4,6). The actual national rate is more likely to be some 50 per 100,000, based on more detailed analyses (7).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple sclerosis in North African migrants to France

Kurtzke

Delasnerie-Lauprêtre

Wallin

2009

Acta Neurologica Scandinavica

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Among some 7500 respondents with known place of birth who had completed a nationwide questionnaire survey for multiple sclerosis (MS) in France in 1986, there were 260 born in former French North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia). They had migrated to France between 1923 and 1986, but 66% came between 1956 and 1964. Two‐thirds were from Algeria, where virtually the entire European population had emigrated in 1962 at the end of the Algerian war for independence. The migrants were younger at prevalence day (mean 43.4 years) and at onset (29.4 years) than the French‐born MS (46.6; 31.3 years). Eight migrants lacked age information. The 225 migrants with onset more than 1 year after immigration presumably acquired their MS in France. They provided an age adjusted (US 1960) MS prevalence rate 1.54 times that for all France. If the latter is taken at 50 per 100,000 population their estimated adjusted rate is 76.8 with 95% confidence interval of 67.1 to 87.5. The other 27 with presumed acquisition in North Africa gave an estimated adjusted prevalence of 16.6 per 100,000 (95% CI 10.9‐24.1). For those migrants with acquisition in France there was a mean interval of 13 years between immigration or age 11 and clinical onset, with a minimum of 3 years. This series provides further support for the theses: 1) that MS is primarily an environmental disease acquired after childhood; 2) that acquisition requires prolonged or repeated exposure (here 3 years for these medium‐to‐high MS risk migrants) followed by a prolonged latent or incubation period between acquisition and symptom onset (here 10 years); and 3) that this disease is most likely a widespread but unknown persistent infection which results in clinical MS in only a small proportion of those affected.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple sclerosis in North African migrants to France

Kurtzke

Delasnerie-Lauprêtre

Wallin

2009

Acta Neurologica Scandinavica

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“…Data collected included: age at onset of disease; functional disability; childhood environment, and family history. This MS population was described previously and the accuracy of selfreported diagnoses was estimated on a sample of 500 patients: 92% had definite or probable MS: 4% had possible MS, and 4% did not have MS [12], Affected parents of index cases were identified and used in the study of the gender distributions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Distributions in Parents and Children Concordant for Multiple Sclerosis

Roth

Clayton²,

Patois³

et al. 1994

Neuroepidemiology

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The family histories of 7,802 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients were reviewed with respect to the familial pattern of the disease and the gender of the affected individuals. These patients joined an epidemiological study following a call for patients on French television and answered a questionnaire with the help of their physician. 170 had an affected parent, providing 72 mother-daughter pairs, 48 mother-son pairs, 37 father-daughter pairs, and 13 father-son pairs. From these data, the maximum likelihood estimate of the female to male ratio is 2.06, which is not different from what could be expected given the ratio of 2:1 usually found among patients. The apparent deficit of father-son concordant pairs probably simply reflects the well-known preponderance of the disease among females.

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“…The data ofVerdier-Tailleferand Alperovitch [1] and of Alperovitch and Feingold [8] are assumed hereto be independent.…”

Section: Sr = Sex Ratio (Proportion Males)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Verdier-Taillefer and Alperovitch [1] re ported data on the sexes of offspring of pa tients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The sex ratio (proportion male) of the offspring of male patients was significantly lower than that of the offspring of female patients, and the authors speculate that 'altered sex ratio and MS might have some risk factors in com mon'.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex Ratios of the Offspring of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

James

1994

Neuroepidemiology

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The sex ratios (proportions male) of the offspring of both male and female MS patients produced before disease onset are similar, and closely approximate Caucasian live birth sex ratios. The sex ratio of the offspring of male patients sired after disease onset is significantly lower than these values. In contrast, the sex ratio of the offspring born to female patients after disease onset is non-significantly higher. In short, MS patients produce unusual offspring sex ratios only after disease onset. It is suggested here that they do so as a consequence of a stress-induced reduction in testosterone levels in male patients, and possibly a stress-induced increase in testosterone in female patients. In any case, the data suggest that the sex ratios are a consequence of the disease and not a key to its cause(s).

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Do Male Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Have an Excess of Female Offspring?

Cited by 6 publications

References 13 publications

Multiple sclerosis in North African migrants to France

Multiple sclerosis in North African migrants to France

Gender Distributions in Parents and Children Concordant for Multiple Sclerosis

Sex Ratios of the Offspring of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

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