Neurofilament heavy chain gene polymorphism and risk of multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease characterized by degeneration of the central nervous system (CNS). High levels of Neurofilament heavy chain (NEFH) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is associated with MS. 40 MS patients and 40 controls genotyped by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Sanger sequencing. Genotypic and allelic distributions were compared between cases and controls. Fisher test was used to estimate the risk of MS associated with genotypes. We showed that NEFH, 1084-244G>A gene polymorphism, has no significant association with the susceptibility or severity of MS in Iranian patients (P = 0.737). Further prospective studies are required for confirmation.