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[MSUK]

Puzzle of why some black Caribbeans more prone to suffer from MS

Multiple sclerosis is most often found in northern Europe, north America, Australia and New Zealand, all populated by European colonists.

In Britain, the numbers affected are highest in Scotland, far higher than they are in England or Wales, while the further north one goes in Scotland the more the figures rise: 229 per 100,000 in Aberdeen, 295 in Shetland, but 402 in Orkney.

“It has been suggested that the origins can be traced back to the Vikings who colonised those parts of northern Europe where MS is most pronounced and that ‘Viking genes’ can make people particularly susceptible [to multiple sclerosis],” says the MS Society in Britain.

Today, however, the society is investigating another population group: the black Caribbeans who came to Britain after the second World War and their descendants, some of whom are displaying particular troubles coping with the often-crippling condition............ Read More - http://www.ms-uk.org/ethnicgroups