Correale Jorge, Farez Mauricio F, Gaitán María Inés
Department of Neurology, Institute for Neurological Research Dr Raúl Carrea, FLENI, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Center for Research on Neuroimmunological Diseases (CIEN) from the Raúl Carrea Institute for Neurological Research (FLENI), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Mult Scler J Exp Transl Clin. 2017 Jun 13;3(2):2055217317715049. doi: 10.1177/2055217317715049. eCollection 2017 Apr-Jun.
It is generally accepted that autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) arise from complex interactions between genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. Genetic variants confer predisposition to develop MS, but cannot be therapeutically modified. On the other hand, several studies have shown that different lifestyle and environmental factors influence disease development, as well as activity levels and progression. Unlike genetic risk factors, these can be modified, with potential for prevention, particularly in high-risk populations. Most studies identifying particular lifestyle and environmental factors have been carried out in Caucasian patients with MS. Little or no data is available on the behavior of these factors in Latin American populations. Ethnic and geographic differences between Latin America and other world regions suggest potential regional variations in MS, at least with respect to some of these factors. Furthermore, particular environmental characteristics observed more frequently in Latin America could explain regional differences in MS prevalence. Site-specific studies exploring influences of local environmental factors are warranted.
人们普遍认为，像多发性硬化症（MS）这样的自身免疫性疾病是由遗传易感性和环境因素之间的复杂相互作用引起的。基因变异会使人易患MS，但无法通过治疗进行改变。另一方面，多项研究表明，不同的生活方式和环境因素会影响疾病的发展以及活动水平和进程。与遗传风险因素不同，这些因素可以改变，具有预防的潜力，尤其是在高危人群中。大多数确定特定生活方式和环境因素的研究是在患有MS的白种人患者中进行的。关于这些因素在拉丁美洲人群中的行为，几乎没有或根本没有数据。拉丁美洲与世界其他地区之间的种族和地理差异表明，MS可能存在潜在的区域差异，至少在其中一些因素方面是这样。此外，在拉丁美洲更频繁观察到的特定环境特征可以解释MS患病率的区域差异。有必要开展针对当地环境因素影响的特定地点研究。
