FRIDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) -- A new study may shed light on why black Americans experience more disability with multiple sclerosis (MS) than whites.
The study, which is in the July 3 issue of Neurology, looked at 66 blacks and 132 whites with MS.
When the researchers compared levels of antibodies in the participants' cerebrospinal fluid, they found that the black Americans' levels were 29 percent higher than whites'.
"The findings show that ethnic differences in MS extend to the immune response system, which plays a central role in MS," study author Dr. John R. Rinker, of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said in a prepared statement.
The reason for this difference in antibody levels is unknown, said Rinker, but it may be related to differences in the genetic background of different ethnic groups.
The study also found that black Americans had MS for an average of nine years before needing a cane, walker or wheelchair, compared to an average of 17 years for whites with the illness. The higher antibody levels did not predict an earlier need for help in walking, however.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about multiple sclerosis.
