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Clinical Characteristics of Multiple Sclerosis in African-Americans

  • Demyelinating Disorders (J. Bernard & M. Cameron, Section Editors)
  • Published:
Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that affects nearly 1 million people in the USA and has the potential to profoundly affect physical ability and income potential at a young age. Since a landmark paper was published in 2014, few studies have looked at differences in MS disease characteristics between African-American and Caucasian patients.

Recent Findings

African-American patients often have a more severe MS disease course, as well as biomarker data which can portend a worse prognosis. While the sample sizes are usually quite small, subgroup analyses of African-American patients have been performed to evaluate efficacy of disease-modifying treatments as compared with the entire study population, made up of primarily Caucasians.

Summary

In an era where we strive for personalized medicine, understanding racial differences in MS may help us better treat African-American patients in the future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave. MC 2030, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA

    Veronica P. Cipriani & Sara Klein

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  1. Veronica P. Cipriani
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Correspondence to Veronica P. Cipriani.

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Conflict of Interest

Sara Klein declares no potential conflicts of interest.

Veronica P. Cipriani has received honoraria from Biogen Idec, Genentech, EMD Serono, and Sanofi Genzyme for educational or consulting activities. She has received honoraria for speaking for Genentech.

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Cipriani, V.P., Klein, S. Clinical Characteristics of Multiple Sclerosis in African-Americans. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 19, 87 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-019-1000-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-019-1000-5

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