Scientific
publications

Background: In contrast to successes for multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility, the genetic basis for clinical heterogeneity remains largely unresolved.

Objectives: We investigate the first reported genetic association with relapse rate.

Methods: We genotyped variant rs12988804 in LRP2 in a homogeneous study population of 527 Belgian MS patients with 970 documented relapses.

Results: The rs12988804*T allele is associated with a 1.16-fold increased hazard rate for a relapse occurring ( P = 0.0078) and a higher baseline relapse rate prior to immunomodulatory treatment ( P = 0.044).

Conclusion: Variant rs12988804 in LRP2, the first example of a genome-wide significant association with relapse rate in MS, is replicated in an independent study.

Keywords: Multiple sclerosis; association; genetics; heterogeneity; prognosis; relapses.