Multiple sclerosis in northern Italy. Prevalence in the province of Ferrara in 1978.

Most available Italian studies indicate that the prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Italy is lower than 20 per 100,000. Much higher prevalence figures, however, have been recently found in small communities in Sicily. On this basis, it has been suggested that the frequency the MS in Italy has been seriously underestimated and that the true prevalence for MS is probably similar to that established for northern European countries. This paper reports the results of a survey of MS in the various public health districts of the province of Ferrara. The public health districts are homogeneous medical units serving small populations and therefore represent ideal areas for epidemiological purposes. The total prevalence rate of probable MS for the whole province has been found to be at least 26.9 per 100,000. This result supports the view that the frequency of MS in Italy is higher than that indicated by most published studies, but not that Italy is an area of high risk for MS.