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The Increased Susceptibility of Women to Multiple Sclerosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2015

P. Duquette ,
J. Pleines ,
M. Girard ,
L. Charest ,
M. Senecal-Quevillon  and
C. Masse
P. Duquette*
Affiliation:
Hôpital Notre-Dame, Montreal
J. Pleines
Affiliation:
Hôpital Notre-Dame, Montreal
M. Girard
Affiliation:
Hôpital Notre-Dame, Montreal
L. Charest
Affiliation:
Hôpital Notre-Dame, Montreal
M. Senecal-Quevillon
Affiliation:
Hôpital Notre-Dame, Montreal
C. Masse
Affiliation:
Hôpital Notre-Dame, Montreal
*
Hôpital Notre-Dame, 1560 est, rue Sherbrooke, Montreal, P.Q., Canada H2L 4MI
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Abstract:

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Many diseases with an auto-immune etiology have a skewed sex distribution. In the majority of instances, women are affected more frequently than men. A review of population studies demonstrates that the preponderance of women in multiple sclerosis (MS) is almost constant. We show that this preponderance is further increased in early as well as in late-onset cases, in familial cases as well as in MS twin pairs and that the HLA-DR2 allele, which has been associated with MS in Caucasian populations, is significantly more frequent in women than in men with MS. “Rules” have been established for multifactorial diseases; MS contravenes most of those rules. The skewed sex distribution in MS could be attributed to the known hormonal and gender influences on the immune response, as well as to genetic influences.

Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences , Volume 19 , Issue 4 , November 1992 , pp. 466 - 471
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation 1992

References

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