Multiple sclerosis in Asia -- KUROIWA et al. 27 (2): 188 ...

YOSHIGORO KUROIWA, M.D., TSU-PEI HUNG, M.D., DAVID LANDSBOROUGH, M.D.,

CHOONGH SUH PARK, M.D., BHlM S. ... Republic of China (Dr. Landsborough); the
Department of Neurology, ...

www.neurology.org/cgi/content/ abstract/27/2/188

NEUROLOGY 1977;27:188
1977 American Academy of Neurology
Multiple sclerosis in Asia http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/27/2/188

YOSHIGORO KUROIWA, M.D., TSU-PEI HUNG, M.D., DAVID

LANDSBOROUGH, M.D., CHOONGH SUH PARK, M.D., BHlM S. SINGHAL,
M.R.C.P. (LOND.), SASTRODIWIRJO SOEMARGO, M.D., ATHASIT
VEJJAJIVA, M.R.C.P.(LOND.) and HlROSHl SHIBASAKI, M.D.
Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Kyushu University, Fukuoka,
Japan (Dr. Kuroiwa and Dr. Shibasaki); the Department of Neurology, National
Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China (Dr. Hung); Christian
Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan, Republic of China (Dr. Landsborough); the
Department of Neurology, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea (Dr. Park); the
Department of Neurology, J. J. Hospital, Bombay, India (Dr. Singhal); the
Department of Neurology, University of Indonesia, Jakarta (Dr. Soemargo);
and the Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine,
Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand (Dr. Vejjajiva).

Cases of multiple sclerosis were collected by Asian neurologists from

recognized medical centers, using standardized formats similar to those used
for the Japan nationwide multiple sclerosis survey. As a result, information on
a total of 61 cases was collected from six neurologic centers in five Asian
countries excluding Japan. Multiple sclerosis appears to be a rare disease
throughout Asia. Certain clinical characteristics that had been previously noted
in Japanese and other individual Asian series were again observed in the
present Asian series. When compared with Western multiple sclerosis, the
Asian multiple sclerosis cases showed a relatively higherfrequency of optic
nerve involvement, frequently bilateral and severe, at the onset, as well as
during the course of illness, and no rare occurrence of Devic's syndrome.
Dr. Kuroiwa's address is Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute,
Kyushu University Faculty of Medicine, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan 812.

The outline of this paper was presented at the Asian Multiple Sclerosis
Workshop in Tokyo, March 13 and 14, 1975, and at the Fourth Asian and
Oceanian Congress of Neurology in Bangkok, November 18, 1975.

This study was supported by the Japan Medical Research Foundation.

Received for publication May 24, 1976.

1977

YOSHIGORO
CHOONGH BHlM M.R.C.P.
SASTRODIWIRJO SOEMARGO M.R.C.P.
HlROSHl

Park JJ
Soemargo
Ramathibodi

61 6
5


higherfrequency
Devic

812

3 13 14 1975
1975 11 18
 1976 5 24