Multiple sclerosis in southern Europe. II: Prevalence in Malta in 1978

After an intensive survey only 14 patients have been found with a diagnosis of probable multiple sclerosis (MS) in the islands of Malta. This is a low prevalence of 4.2 per 100 000. The low prevalence of MS is confirmed by the small number of deaths certified as due to MS--six in 11 years--and by the absence of Maltese MS patients resident in England among the MS patients admitted to hospital in Greater London and the West Midlands (1960-72). The low prevalence of MS found in Malta can be contrasted with the high prevalence found in Enna city in central Sicily. The genetic and environmental reasons for this difference in MS prevalence between the neighbouring islands of Sicily and Malta require further study.