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The prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Belo Horizonte, BrazilDOI: 10.1590/S0004-282X2012000200006 Keywords: multiple sclerosis, prevalence, belo horizonte, southeastern brazil. Abstract: investigations on the prevalence rates of multiple sclerosis (ms) around the world have yielded important clues on the interplay between genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. as brazil is a huge country laid on many latitudes and inhabited by population with distinct ethnic backgrounds, it might be assumed that the frequency of ms varies in its different regions. objective: to determine the prevalence rate of ms in belo horizonte, the capital of the state of minas gerais, southeastern brazil. methods: we used six sources to draw up a provisional list of identified cases of ms. only patients with diagnosis of clinically definite ms according to poser committee criteria were included. results: the calculated crude ms prevalence was 18.1/100,000 inhabitants. conclusions: the ms prevalence in belo horizonte is similar to that found in s?o paulo and botucatu, two other cities in southeastern brazil with similar ethnic background.
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