Clinical Features of the Spinal Form of Multiple Sclerosis*

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Abstract
From a data pool of 1271 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), 109 cases were selected having a sole spinal symptomatology throughout the course of the disease. This group differed in 3 particular features from the non-spinal forms of MS. In this group there was a higher percentage of females, the age at onset of the disease was higher, and the course of the disease was more often chronic progressive from the beginning. After a mean duration of 11 yr, the spinal and the non-spinal cases showed the same grade of disability. The ability to work was slightly better for spinal cases; office workers were able to keep their jobs longer after onset of the disease than patients with any other occupation. The spinal form of MS was discussed in respect to its relationship to the classical form of MS and as a differential diagnosis to other spinal processes.