MS occurs 2-4 times more frequently in women than men (
Harbo et al., 2013
,
Gbaguidi et al., 2022
), with some studies showing an increasing female-to-male ratio over time (
Trojano et al., 2012
). Accordingly, abundant research focuses on the complex factors that may lead to
this discrepancy. Hormonal influences (
Bove and Chitnis, 2014
) have been a prime focus, fueled by knowledge about the observed peak incidence in
women during child-bearing years, the relative infrequency of relapses during pregnancy
and rebound activity post-partum. The putative protective effects of testosterone
vs. pro-inflammatory effects of estrogen have been elucidated in many studies (
Ysrraelit and Correale, 2019
). Furthermore, specific X-linked genetic factors that associate with this gap have
long been under investigation and include the identification of a single SNP on the
X chromosome (
International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics C, 2019
). But the question of whether X-linked immune- or myelin- related genes work together
to produce an MS phenotype in women has not been answered yet.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 21, 2022
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