Multiple sclerosis in southern Europe. A prevalence study in the sociosanitary district of Copparo, northern Italy.

The prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the Italian studies presently available is reported to be between 3.3 and 19.5 per 100,000. All these studies, however, have been undertaken in populations exceeding 300,000 and probably offer underestimates of MS frequency. Current sanitary organization in Italy is inadequate for epidemiological search and many patients with MS may be overlooked when large populations are studied. So, accurate estimates of MS frequency are possible only as a result of intensive surveys in small population groups. Prevalence figures of 53 and 32 per 100,000 have been recently reported by Dean et al. who studied the frequency of MS in small population groups in Sicily. The present study reports the results of a similar survey in the district of Copparo (population 45,153) in northern Italy. The prevalence of probable MS found in Copparo was 31 per 100,000. This result confirms the findings of Dean et al. in southern Italy and supports Dean's opinion that the true frequency of MS in Italy as a whole is higher than that indicated by the Italian studies.