FREQUENCY AND SIGNIFICANCE OF ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES IN MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS

In a prospective sample of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) we fo und a high frequency of antinuclear antibodies (ANA), 22.5%, confirmin g results from previous studies. ANA occurrence did not correlate with gender, age, duration of MS, MS course, or disability in either the p rospective and retrospective samples of MS patients. In 16 patients wi th MS tested at two time points, ANA occurrence did correlate with MS disease activity. This suggests that the high frequency of ANA in MS r eflects ongoing immune dysregulation.