[Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the Paris area: ethnic origin of the patients].

Twenty six (27 p. 100) of 96 patients dying from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the Paris metropolitan area between 1968 and 1982 were born in foreign countries although the proportion of foreign-born residents account for only 15 p. 100 of the population. The annual mortality rate of Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease in this group of foreign-born cases (1.33 per million) was twice that of French-born residents (0.64 per million). Twenty of the 26 foreign-born cases originated from countries surrounding the Mediterranean sea, and 5 of 7 familial cases belonged to 2 Tunisian families. There was no spatial clustering of foreign-born cases and no relationship between their Paris residence and the percent of foreign-born people living in the same area. The disproportionate frequency of Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease among foreign-born residents thus seems to be a contributing factor to the higher prevalence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease in Paris when compared to the rest of France. It further suggests that the prevalence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease in Mediterranean countries may be greater than expected.