Background and Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is variable in its prevalence and manifestations in different regions of the world. Iran is one of the most populous countries in Middle East, it is important to have a better understanding of the epidemiology and clinical pattern of MS in different parts of Iran. Although Iran is said to be located in the low-risk area, recent studies have shown that the prevalence of MS in Iran may be much higher than what was previously thought. This study determines the current prevalence and clinical features of MS in East Azerbaijan province, North West Iran. Methods: All patients for this study were MS cases listed in the Committee for Diagnosis and Treatment of MS (CDTMS) registry. The study patients were all residents of East Azerbaijan Province who were diagnosed with MS by neurologists. Results: Out of one thousand cases, 269 were males (26.9%) and 731 females (73.1%).The female/male ratio was 2.7. The crude prevalence of MS in East Azerbaijan was 27.7/100,000 population. The mean age (SD) of patients was 33.4 (8.9) years. The relapse-remitting form of disease was seen in 67.7% of patients; primary-progressive disease in 2.8%; and secondary progressive disease in 11.2%. Conclusion: Our study suggests that MS prevalence in North West Iran lies in the medium frequency range.

Background: There is supportive evidence that multiple sclerosis (MS) could potentially affect the peripheral nervous system. We assessed peripheral sensory and motor nerve involvement in patients with MS by a nerve conduction velocity test. Methods: We studied 75 patients who had a relapsing-remitting or secondary progressive pattern. We measured amplitude, latency, conduction velocity, Hoffmann reflex (H-Reflex), and F-Waves. Results: The amplitude of the right tibial, right proneal, left tibial, left proneal, and left median motor nerves was less than the mean for the normal population. Right ulnar sensory conduction in the patients showed an amplitude that was less than that of the normal population; there was no significant change in the amplitude of other sensory nerves. Latencies of the right and left median and right proneal motor nerves and left ulnar sensory nerves were statistically less than that of the normal population. Mean motor conduction velocity and F-wave conduction did not differ significantly from the normal population. H-reflex latencies of the right and left lower limbs were significantly more prolonged than those of the normal population. Conclusion: Our results suggest possible peripheral motor nerve abnormalities in MS patients, especially with the amplitude of the motor nerves; however, our results do not demonstrate any significant difference among the nerve conduction velocity parameters of sensory nerves between MS patients and the normal population.
Demyelinating Diseases ; Multiple Sclerosis ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases