Association between the Geographic Distributions of Multiple Sclerosis and some Infections in Finland

Abstract
The association of multiple sclerosis (MS) with infections has been studied in two projects. First, the geographical distribution of MS in Finland has been compared with the areal incidence of 7 childhood infections, rheumatic fever and tuberculosis during several periods. No typical and significant correlations could be noticed. Secondly, the infectious history and serum hemagglutination antibodies against measles in a MS group and a group of matched controls in South-Western Finland were studied. The frequency of the different infections was evenly distributed between the groups. However, the MS sera had significantly higher antibody titres.