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Previous studies have suggested that, despite receiving prompt diagnosis and early treatment, African Americans with multiple sclerosis (MS) have greater disability than white Americans. The implication is that genetics, and not socioeconomic factors, are a major determinant in this more severe disease phenotype. To compare brain image findings in African Americans and white Americans with MS, researchers performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on 567 patients (including 79 African Americans) seen at one center. Imaging was part of routine clinical care, negating a bias toward scanning those with worse disease.
Compared with whites, African Americans had similar proportions of MS subtypes, younger age, similar age at disease onset, a tren…