Comparison of multiple sclerosis patients with and without oligoclonal IgG bands in South China

The data for oligoclonal IgG bands (OCB) in cerebrospinal fluid and the association with clinical profiles of Chinese patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is lacking. We aimed to investigate the positive OCB incidence, as well as the clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features associated with positive OCB in MS patients in South China. Consecutive MS patients were recruited from two centers, located in Guangzhou city and Hong Kong in South China. MS was re-diagnosed by McDonald criteria 2017. OCB was tested using isoelectric focusing method. The difference in the clinical and MRI features between OCB-positive and OCB-negative MS patients was evaluated. Among 184 MS patients analyzed (102 from Guangzhou and 82 from Hong Kong), 110 (59.8%) patients were OCB-positive. Except for onset age (P = 0.019), there was no significant difference between MS patients with or without OCB in relation to the course of disease, symptoms of first attack, lesion distribution on MRI, relapse rates, or disability progression. Our results demonstrate no significant clinical differences between the OCB positive and negative MS patients in this MS cohort. Larger cohort in Chinese patients with MS is warranted.