McGuigan C, McCarthy A, Quigley C, Bannan L, Hawkins S A, Hutchinson M
St Vincent's University Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2004 Apr;75(4):572-6. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2003.012666.
Northern Ireland has a high and rising prevalence rate of multiple sclerosis (MS). The most recent survey in 1996 found a rate of 168.7/100 000. Recorded prevalence rates for the south of Ireland, including County Wexford, have been markedly lower and seemed to suggest the existence of a prevalence gradient within the island.
To compare the prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Co. Wexford in the south east of Ireland and Co. Donegal in the north west, and to establish whether a variation in prevalence of MS exists within Ireland.
Patients were referred from multiple sources. Review of clinical case records and/or patient examination confirmed the diagnosis.
In Co. Wexford, 126 patients were found to have clinically definite or probable multiple sclerosis with a prevalence rate of 120.7/100 000 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 100.6 to 143.8), which is similar to other areas of similar latitude within the British Isles. In Co. Donegal, 240 people had clinically definite or probable MS with a prevalence rate of 184.6/100 000 (95% CI 162.0 to 209.5). The difference in prevalence rates is statistically significant (Z = 3.94, p = <0.001).
There is a latitudinal variation in the prevalence rate of MS between the north and the south of Ireland. The increased prevalence of MS seen in Co. Wexford is likely to represent better case ascertainment and improved diagnostic accuracy rather than an actual increase in prevalence. The north/south variation in prevalence may represent a variation in the genetic predisposition to MS between the background populations of the two counties.
北爱尔兰多发性硬化症（MS）的患病率较高且呈上升趋势。1996年的最新调查发现患病率为168.7/10万。爱尔兰南部，包括韦克斯福德郡，记录的患病率明显较低，似乎表明该岛存在患病率梯度。
比较爱尔兰东南部韦克斯福德郡和西北部多尼戈尔郡多发性硬化症的患病率，并确定爱尔兰境内MS患病率是否存在差异。
患者来自多个来源。通过回顾临床病例记录和/或对患者进行检查来确诊。
在韦克斯福德郡，发现126例临床确诊或可能患有多发性硬化症的患者，患病率为120.7/10万（95%置信区间（CI）为100.6至143.8），这与不列颠群岛内其他纬度相似的地区相近。在多尼戈尔郡，240人临床确诊或可能患有MS，患病率为184.6/10万（95%CI为162.0至209.5）。患病率差异具有统计学意义（Z = 3.94，p = <0.001）。
爱尔兰南北部MS患病率存在纬度差异。韦克斯福德郡MS患病率的增加可能代表病例确诊情况更好以及诊断准确性提高，而非实际患病率增加。患病率的南北差异可能代表两个郡背景人群中MS遗传易感性的差异。
