Multiple sclerosis in Asia.

Cases of multiple sclerosis were collected by Asian neurologists from recognized medical centers, using standardized formats similar to those used for the Japan nationwide multiple sclerosis survey. As a result, information on a total of 61 cases was collected from six neurologic centers in five Asian countries excluding Japan. Multiple sclerosis appears to be a rare disease throughout Asia. Certain clinical characteristics that had been previously noted in Japanese and other individual Asian series were again observed in the present Asian series. When compared with Western multiple sclerosis, the Asian multiple sclerosis cases showed a relatively higher frequency of optic nerve involvement, frequently bilateral and severe, at the onset, as well as during the course of illness, and no rare occurrence of Devic's syndrome.