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Multiple sclerosis frequency in Israel’s diverse populations

From Lankenau Medical Research Institute (M.A.), Wynnewood, PA; Barzilai Medical Center (E.K.), Ashkelon; The Neuroepidemiology Unit (E.K., N.Z.), Hadassah Hospital, Jerusalem; CRFJ (N.Z.D.), The Jerusalem French Research Center; and Carmel Hospital (A.M.), Haifa, Israel.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Milton Alter, Professor, Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, 100 East Lancaster Avenue, Wynnewood, PA 19096.

Background: Israel has served for almost half a century as a site for epidemiologic studies of multiple sclerosis (MS). Its small geographic size, well-equipped, accessible, and subsidized health facilities, trained physicians, detailed census data, and a National MS Register, maintained since 1960, offer advantages for accurate determinations of MS frequency in its diverse populations.

Method: The authors calculated age-specific prevalence of MS in Israeli-born Jewish inhabitants, immigrant Jews from Europe/America and from North Africa/Asia, Israeli-born Christian and Moslem Arabs, Druze, and Bedouins.

Results: Prevalence rate of MS per 10⁵ population on June 30, 2000, for each of these groups in the order listed was 61.6, 53.7, and 27.9 for the Jewish groups and 35.3, 14.7, 10.9, and 17.3 for the non-Jewish groups. Three tiers in MS prevalence were apparent. The highest rates were in Israeli-born Jews and in Jewish immigrants from Europe/America (significantly higher in the former than the latter). Jewish immigrants from African/Asian countries and Christian Arabs had intermediate MS rates (significantly lower than in the first two groups but not significantly different from each other). Moslem Arabs, Druze, and Bedouins had the lowest rates of MS (significantly lower than in the intermediate group but not significantly different from each other).

Conclusion: Diverse ethnic groups living in the same geographic area may have significantly different frequencies of MS.

Additional material related to this article can be found on the Neurology Web site. Go to www.neurology.org and scroll down the Table of Contents for the April 11 issue to find the title link for this article.

*See the Appendix for a listing of members of the Israeli MS Study Group.

Supported by grant RG3647-A-8, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of USA.

Disclosure: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Received August 4, 2005. Accepted in final form December 20, 2005.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. Lauer, M. Alter, E. Kahana, N. Zilber, and A. Miller Multiple sclerosis frequency in Israel's diverse populations Neurology, January 23, 2007; 68(4): 311 - 311. [Full Text] [PDF]

Correspondence: