[Ethnic factors and their relation to the pathogenesis and geography of multiple sclerosis]

Epidemiological and immunogenetic studies made in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), carried out for the first time in Uzbekistan, demonstrated the varying disease incidence in 4 populations: Uzbek, Tadjik, Russian and Tatar. In Uzbeks and Russians, a significant relationship was established between MS and antigen HLA-B7 carriership. A correlation was noted between the low incidence of MS among Uzbeks (0.8:100,000) and the higher among Russians (11.5:100,000) and the low prevalence of antigen HLA-B7 in the Uzbek and the higher one in the Russian population. It has been shown that the use of the medico-geographic mapping to specify the nature of MS is ineffective without regard to ethnic factors.