MRI characteristics of familial and sporadic multiple sclerosis patients

Purpose: To investigate the MRI characteristics in a large cohort of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with and without a family history of MS. Methods: Enrolled in this prospective study were 758 consecutive MS patients (mean age 46.2 10.1 years, disease duration 13.6 9.2 years and EDSS 3.4 +/- 2.1), of whom 477 had relapsing-remitting, 222 secondary-progressive, and 30 primary-progressive disease courses and 29 had clinically isolated syndrome. One hundred and ninety-six patients (25.9%) had a positive family history of MS. Patients were assessed using measurements of lesions, brain atrophy, magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) and diffusion-weighted imaging. Results: The familial MS group had greater T1-lesion volume (p=0.009) and a trend for lower MTR of T1-lesion volume (p=0.047) than the sporadic MS group. No clinical differences were found between familial versus sporadic group, or by a degree of affected relative subgroups. Conclusions: While familial MS was associated with more severe T1-lesion volume and its MTR characteristics, there were no clinical status differences between familial and sporadic MS patients. Therefore, a better understanding of the genetic and/or epigenetic influences causing these differences can advance the understanding and management of MS.