[Multiple sclerosis and chromosomal aberrations (author's transl)].

Chromosomal investigations were performed after peripheral lymphocytes taken from 25 healthy females and from 35 female patients suffering from various types of multiple sclerosis had been cultured for 48 hours. The incidence of cells with chromosomal breaks in multiple sclerosis patients (2.0%) was significantly higher than in controls (1.1%): Chi2 = 7.26; DF = 1; p less than 0.01. Furthermore, chromosomal rearrangements (dicentric chromosomes, translocation chromosomes, chromatid exchange figures) were observed more frequently in the MS patients than in the controls. Analysis of the interchromosomal distribution of breaks found in the patients revealed a relative surplus in chromosome A2 and D-group chromosomes.