The FAS-670 polymorphism influences susceptibility to multiple sclerosis.

Several studies have reported a defective Fas function in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). We were interested whether this could result from a genetically altered Fas regulation. We examined the FAS-670 polymorphism in 382 patients with MS and 206 controls, and found that the carriership of allele FAS-670*G was significantly less frequent in patients than in controls. We found no association between the carriership of FAS-670*G and clinical features. For a subgroup of patients, longitudinal MRI data were available. We observed similar brain and lesion volumes in carriers and noncarriers of FAS-670*G. These data suggest that FAS-670*G decreases the risk of developing MS, but does not affect the course of disease.