In the past multiple sclerosis (MS) was thought to primarily affect whites. However, studies have shown a higher incidence of MS in the Black community with newly diagnosed cases. Black people who are diagnosed with MS may develop more severe symptoms than other races.
A new study may help explain why people with MS experience worsening disability while those with two related diseases do not.
MS symptoms in Blacks
Blacks may experience different symptoms than people with MS of other races, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society:
- more frequent relapses and poorer recovery
- more walking problems
- more balance and coordination problems
- more problems with thinking
- earlier disability onset
- more visual symptoms
MS also causes permanent brain and spinal cord scarring.
Researchers investigated whether the same damage accompanies two rarer, similar diseases in which the immune system also attacks the central nervous system.
The diseases are known as aquaporin-4 antibody-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (AQP4-NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disorder (MOGAD).
All three illnesses involve inflammation that damages myelin, the insulation around nerves. The body tries to repair the myelin, but the fix may be incomplete and result in scarring.
“The differences in scarring that we found will help physicians distinguish these three diseases more easily to aid in diagnosis,” senior study author Eoin Flanagan says. “More importantly, our findings improve our understanding of the mechanisms of nerve damage in these three diseases and may suggest an important role of such scars in the development of long-term disability in MS.”
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