[The prevalence of disseminated sclerosis in Ukraine]

Both geoclimatic factors and environmental contamination due to human activity in agriculture and industry have been implicated in the onset and course of disseminated sclerosis in Ukraine, according to epidemiological investigations. On the basis of the results obtained a conception has been advocated of the demyelinization process development as a consequence of the myelin protein metabolism control getting upset in the most differentiated system of those individuals genetically predisposed to the condition owing to aggravation of the endocrine disorders tending to occur in male subjects predominantly under the influence of geoclimatic factors while in females because of the environmental contamination. Peculiarities of formation in the evolutionary time scale of sex-related adaptive defence mechanisms are thought to account for the above observation.